Unexpected Meetings, Incidents, and Romances
by Riri.Riii
Summary: What happens when the seven heroes find out there is an eigth? What happens when her past comes back to haunt her? What happens when Herry realizes he likes her? H/OC some J/T and some A/A Rated M for later chapters and OC's semi-constant swearing
1. Memories

(A/N: First and foremost allow me to apologize for using an OC. I couldn't pull Theresa or Atlanta from their Jay/Theresa and Archie/Atlanta pairings. I must also apologize about any OOCness the characters may have, I was sincerely trying to get them in character as much as possible. This is my first fanfic that I've written for Class of the Titans that isn't a crossover, and it is the first fanfic I have wanted others to see. So rate and review please. =D PS: Sorry I couldn't think of a good chapter title.)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans belongs to it's legal owners.

Chapter One: Memories 

She found herself blinking at a ceiling. She was freezing. What happened? Where was she? The questions repeated themselves inside her head. She wasn't at home. She blinked again, the thought of home made her head spin. She didn't have a home anymore. No, that's not true. She had obtained a home, with a kind group of people. The thought of those people made her think harder. The ceiling began to look familiar, she was in her room, at the Brownstone. The Brownstone? Yes, she remembered the building, and she also began to remember her housemates. Housemates? No, that wasn't the right, they weren't just housemates, they were her friends. Friends? She hadn't thought of anyone as a friend in a long time, not since that happened. Her thoughts drifted to when this all began for her.

Three months ago: Olympus High school.

She roamed the halls, unsure of where to go. The weight of her pendant was heavy around her neck. This was the closest school available since she had gotten expelled at her last one, for lighting a very pushy boy on fire accidentally. Of course no one believed it was an accident. It was moments like this that she wished she had stayed at home and hadn't run away. But the wish quickly faded. Bad things happened to her at home. She shook her head, home was a forbidden topic even inside of her own mind.

She passed a janitors closet, which had a strange lock. She pulled out her pendent, which was the same shape. Just as she was about to put it in the slot she heard a cough behind her. She turned, while placing her hands behind her back, to see a light brown haired boy, with chocolate brown eyes staring at her.

"Hi," He said with a smile. "Are you new here?"

Before she realized what she had done she found herself hiding behind some lockers looking out at the stranger, keeping a very safe distance between them.

She watched as he blinked, clearly surprised by her reaction, it probably didn't happen to him often enough. He looked at her in her new location as he put his hands up in a non-threatening way.

"I'm Jay." He said while taking a couple of steps closer.

She flinched away from his approach by clinging herself to the wall. "I-I am-Lena." Even she could hear the fear in her voice, causing her to swallow hard.

Jay froze at the sound of her voice, had he done something?

"I-I need to get going." Lena found herself saying, as she began to push away from the wall and start to walk away as quickly as she could. During her flustered state she hadn't even realized she had dropped her pendant.

Jay was stunned and left blinking after the strange girl, who had ran away from him. She had called herself Lena, and she was definitely someone whom he had never seen before, probably new here as he had asked her before. He walked over to where she was standing, and noticed a golden pendent on the ground. He picked it up, and looked at it with shock. He pulled out his own pendant, and compared the two. The only difference between them was that hers had an 'L' on the back while his had a 'J'. Jay pulled out his PMR and called the others, feeling like they needed to know about this.

It didn't take Lena long to find the principles office, her heart still pounding in her chest, in fear, from her encounter with that guy who called himself 'Jay'. She looked at her hands, they were still shaking. Her eyes widened then, she had dropped her pendant! With a almost mute swear and tears in her eyes, she decided it would be best to look for it later. She headed into the office.

Jay and the others stood in front of the Queen of the Gods: Hera, and the Messenger of the Gods: Hermes. Jay looked at Hera and threw down Lena's pendant on the table. Hera's eyes widened, and Hermes gasped.

"Where did you get this?" Hera asked. It was clear that she knew what this was.

"I met a girl just now, she was carrying it." Jay explained.

Hera sighed. "So I guess it's time to tell you the truth."

"What do you mean the truth?" Archie asked.

Hermes swallowed, "This is all my fault because I couldn't track her down."

"The person this pendant belongs to is one of you. She too is a hero, meant to help save the world from Cronus. We lied to you about the prophesy, there are supposed to be eight of you if you intend to defeat him." Hera said, petting one of her birds.

"You're just telling us this now?" Archie asked again, anger seeping through his voice.

Hermes spoke up, "It's my fault! We had sent her the pendant, but after New Years I wasn't able to collect her like I was able to collect you seven."

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Jay asked, calmly.

"Because we needed you to be confident in your battles with Cronus, or you would have died." Hera responded.

"Does Cronus know?" Theresa asked.

Hermes shook his head, "Probably not yet. But if he goes to the Oracle now that she's inside the city, at this relatively close range, even she can't hide from the Oracle."

"How did she stay off the radar for this long?" Odie asked.

"Even we are unsure about how she's stayed away." Hera said solemnly.

Atlanta clapped Theresa on the shoulder and said, "At least there will be one more girl on the team."

Jay sighed, remembering his meeting with Lena. He didn't bring up how she had acted scared, or how she had cowered in the corner to get away from him.

"What's wrong?" Theresa asked him quietly.

"Nothing we should go find her, before Cronus does." Jay picked up Lena's pendant off the table, figuring that she would probably be looking for it soon.

Lena finally got out of the principals office after half an hour, tired and drained. Her hands clenched into fists, thinking about the conversation she had just had._"__We will not tolerate any violence from our students.__"_The principal had said. She muttered to herself as she walked back to the spot where she had dropped her pendant. "Well, I wouldn't have to be violent, if stupid boys learned their place." 'Or maybe' She thought to herself, 'If I didn't panic every time a guy got relatively close to me. I wouldn't be here right now.'

Lena looked ahead to see the janitors closet that had distracted her in the first place, and back tracked to the lockers she had hid behind. It wasn't there! She was sure she had dropped it there! She got down on her knees to look at the ground more closely, checking to see if it had slipped behind or under the lockers. While a constant string of swears slipped out of her mouth quietly.

"Looking for something?" Lena turned to see the guy whom she had met earlier, what was his name again? Jay? That seemed about right. She took a look around only to see that he wasn't alone this time, his friends were surrounding her, leaving her with no place to run.

Lena found herself, for the second time that hour, pressed up against a corner because of the same guy. "Um," Her voice was caught in her throat. "Yes, its-this golden-pendant." Her voice was shaking, and she could feel the tears well in her eyes.

Lena watched as Jay let the pendant slid out of his hand as he hung onto the chain. "You mean this?" She nodded. Jay continued to talk. "When did you obtain this?" His tone was calm and kind, trying not to scare her again.

She looked up at him, "A-about ni-nine months ago. I found it, while I was l-looking at my -" Her hands covered her mouth.

"Your?" Jay began to approach her.

"Um…" She could feel her breathing getting shallow, and panic bubble up to the surface.

"Jay, wait!" Lena watched as Jay looked up at a long strawberry-blond haired girl.

"Why?" He continued to approach Lena, causing her to fall off the metaphorical edge.

"WHAAAA! I'M SORRY!" Lena began sobbing, and rapidly apologizing.

"That's why." The long haired girl said, as Jay looked at her with a 'What did I do wrong?' look.

"You scared her, Jay!" The short red headed girl spoke up, as she approached Lena who was still sobbing on the ground. She came up to her and stroked her head. "Don't worry, everything's okay, he's not going to hurt you."

It took a bit for Lena to calm down, and Jay looked completely confused and defeated with his head against the wall. This was twice he had scared the girl unintentionally. The short red headed girl introduced them. Her name was Atlanta, the strawberry blond was Theresa, the blond was Neil, the purple haired guy was Archie, the dark brown haired male was Herry, and the shortest one with dark skin was Odie. Atlanta had figured that Lena and Jay had already met, and she was right from the look of defeat on Jays face.

"I'm sorry for that out burst just now. I'm Lena." Lena said in between trying to regain her breath.

"It's fine, do you want to tell me what happened?" Atlanta hadn't left her side since she started bawling.

"I'm a touch androphobic." She stated still trying to regain some of her breath.

Atlanta looked up at Odie, who said, "She's afraid of men."

Lena nodded, and Jay looked up. It wasn't his fault! He felt his confidence return. "Isn't that great, Jay?" Theresa asked, she hadn't left his side since his head met with the wall, and a sense of despair radiated off of him. Atlanta helped up Lena and watched as the girl brushed off her clothes. Her breathing had returned to normal.

"Well," Archie said at last, "what now?"

"We take her to see Hera." Jay said with his renewed confidence.

"Why does the Queen of the Greek Gods want to see me?" Lena asked partly hidden behind Atlanta.

They all looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "How do you know about her?" Jay asked.

"I read a lot of Greek mythology…I mean a lot, a lot. Mostly for research, and partly for personal interest." She shrunk back behind Atlanta, who just sighed, hoping that she wouldn't be clinging to her for long. As if Lena sensed this she pulled away from Atlanta, and moved to the back of the group, avoiding contact all together.

Jay nodded and pulled out a his own pendant and stuck it into the lock on the janitors door. Lena opened her mouth, and everyone just pulled out their own. "We all have one," Jay

said smiling, and ushering everyone inside.

"This closet," Herry said almost squished, "is getting smaller." He pulled the string to turn on the light, opening the portal to the gods domain. They all rushed inside except for Lena who was cautious, causing both Theresa and Atlanta to pull her in.

Lena stumbled, tripping over her excessively long pants, causing her to land face first on the floor. She looked up, slowly, seeing that Jay and Archie were in an argument.

"I don't trust her." Archie said outright, not bothering to notice that Lena was on the floor behind them listening to every word.

"You are going to have to start trusting her, Archie." Jay said.

"And what's with her being afraid of men? In case you haven't noticed, Jay, five of us are men." Archie was almost yelling.

Atlanta shot in, "We're all afraid of something, Arch. You, yourself are afraid of water."

Lena stood up, brushing herself off. She looked at Archie, and spoke, her voice like ice. "Archie, was it?" He looked at her, and what he saw must not have been pleasant, because he cringed back. "If you have a problem with me, I would prefer you say it to me first before going to bitch to Jay."

They all looked at her, shock crossing their faces. Her dark green eyes were almost glowing with rage, and her crimson hair seemed to frame the rage radiating from her and for someone with a fear of men, she had a sharp tongue that was almost deadly.

Jay put up a hand to stop Archie from retaliating, as Theresa went to Lena and tried to calm her down. Lena's rage was under control in a matter of minutes, while Archie had a harder time controlling his. Jay kept Archie to his right as Theresa kept Lena to her left to keep the two from fighting again. The others walked behind the four, making sure no other arguments happened from a safe distance. They all prayed that nothing else happened today.

They walked into Hera's room, and she warmly greeted them.

"Welcome back. Did you find her?" Hera looked at the group, counting eight heads instead of the usual seven. "Welcome Lena. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Lena smiled, "The pleasure, and honor is all mine, Hera, Queen of the Greek Gods." she said with a bow.

Archie mumbled something and Atlanta elbowed him in the side. Lena looked at him and smiled coldly.

Hera noticed the exchange but brought her attention back to Lena. "Lena here is the descendant of Linus."

They all looked at Jay, who just shook his head. He didn't have any idea who he was either.

Apollo walked in as if called, "Linus was my son, and brother to Orpheus. He also taught Hercules music, until he was killed."

"Who killed him?" Atlanta asked.

"Hercules," Lena spoke. "He killed him for reprimanding him for making mistakes." There was no emotion in her voice. She noticed Herry shrink back. "Not that I have any grudge against Hercules, or anything." she said to him.

Archie spoke up, "Well that doesn't seem very heroic."

"It's not, but when his illegitimate son marries a very powerful witch, and they have children who possess the witches powers, and after many generations of honing those skills. One might think it would become useful." Lena retorted.

"Then show us those magic powers of yours." Archie snapped.

"Gladly." Lena smiled again. Holding out her hand, she began concentrating. A small orb of fire appeared.

"Is that all?" Archie almost laughed out loud.

The flame in Lena's hand grew, she maintained the flaming orb. As she began concentrating on her forearm and a spiral of water started to grow, and started up the rest of her arm. "Do you want me to keep going? Or are you satisfied?"

"I am…" Archie started, but the glares from the others made him change what he was going to say, "Satisfied. But how do we know you're any good in a fight?"

"Archie!" Jay and Atlanta exclaimed at the same time.

"I was about to ask the same thing." Ares said as he walked in.

Lena forced the water to extinguish the fireball that had formed and then made the water disappear. "What do you want me to do?" She looked at Ares, and smiled pleasantly.

He looked at her seriously. "A one on one match with Archie."

"Ares!" Hera looked aghast.

Lena turned to Hera, her eyes somewhat sorrowful. "I'll have to prove myself to them sooner or later, and I would rather get it out of the way today, so that this won't have to continue later on." She didn't let herself feel panic over being close to the boy, because she knew she wouldn't let him get close.

They moved out to the training area and everyone gathered around to see what was going on. Lena sighed as she stripped out of her sweater, and looked at her pants. She muttered something about wearing shorts, and took off her pants too. She folded both and stuck them into the bag she had been carrying. She was now wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts that went to her knees. She pulled out a retractable staff, and touched the switch causing it to grow to full size.

"She was carrying that around all day?" Odie asked.

"Where did she get that thing?" Atlanta asked.

Neil looked up and shrugged, more interested in his mirror then the fight that was about to happen.

Lena swung the staff around getting the feel of it; she hadn't used it in a while. She then looked at Archie. "To make this somewhat even, I swear on the River of Styx that I will not use my magic until after the match is over." She said while pulling her hair back. Archie nodded in response.

Ares threw Archie a spear, to make it a battle consisting of long ranged weapons. They both looked at Ares, who said "The first to be disarmed loses." They both nodded.

The match began and neither of them moved, testing the other. Archie moved first hoping to use his speed to catch Lena off her guard. She just dodged his attack, mostly trying to avoid physical contact. She looked at him and taunted him to attack again. She smiled when he did, using her staff to trip him lightly, she then used Archie's lack of balance against him, she hit his wrists causing him to let go of his spear, dropping it. She lightly placed her staff on Archie's chest to keep him from falling down.

The others who had been watching gaped and Ares sighed. Lena spoke as Archie regained his balance. "So….um…did I prove myself?" Blush colored her face, as she backed away to her bag, putting her pants and sweater back on self-consciously.

Hera looked at Lena, and motioned Hermes over. "Tell her parents we found her."

Hera had apparently spoken loud enough for Lena to hear, and for the third time that day fear built up inside of her. Before she realized what she had done she spoke up, "Please don't tell my parents!" She was looking up at Hera, fear very apparent on her face.

Everyone was looking at her again, and she shrunk in on herself once again. Hera smiled sadly, and spoke. "It seems you and I need to talk."

The Present: Lena's room in the Brownstone.

Lena remembered their conversation all too well, as her thoughts drifted in and out. She was having a hard time concentrating. Her thoughts drifted to the talk she and Hera had three months ago on that first day.

Three months ago: Hera's study

Lena was sitting down on the couch fidgeting under the Goddess' gaze.

"First, I need to know something." Hera said calmly. "How did you escape Hermes when he went to find you, nine months ago?"

Lena swallowed hard. She couldn't look up at Hera. "Nine months ago, I ran away from home. I stayed hidden by using a protection spell I found in my spell book, and I've been bouncing from one place to another ever since."

Hera nodded. "I see. That explains why we couldn't find you afterwards."

"I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble." Lena apologized solemnly.

Hera looked at the girl. "So," she paused, "why don't you want your parents to know where you are? As a mother myself, I can imagine the worry that they're feeling."

Lena looked up at Hera, panic already rising. "Because my step father will force me to come back, or my brother will if they don't!"

Hera looked confused. "Your brother?"

Lena shifted, hiding her face again. "For his own amusement, he'll force me back. To begin the process all over again." Lena could feel herself begin to shake.

"Alright, we won't contact your parents." Hera said resigned. "You can go now."

"I'm sorry." was all Lena said as she walked out of Hera's study.

The other heroes were waiting for her as she left Hera's study. She smiled and hoped it reached her eyes enough to fool them.

Present: Lena's Bedroom

She remembered, three months ago, by thinking about it. So then how did she end up here? In her bed, freezing. Freezing? Why was she freezing? Her thoughts sprang back to the most recent thing she remembered. They were in another battle with Cronus, at the park. They were going for a run; she had kept back with Odie to make sure he didn't fall too far behind…

Three days ago: Central park.

They had all decided to go for a run, even though it was the middle of winter in Canada! Lena and Odie were running behind the others. Lena would have been able to keep up but she didn't want Odie to be left behind.

Odie looked at Lena, who had seemed like she was getting used to him, and the other guys, but there was something that was still bothering him. "Hey, Lena." His voice was breathy due to being unused to the exercise.

"What's up Odie?" She looked at him, but kept up the pace and made sure he did the same.

"The first day you arrived, you got angry, and you were radiating rage. Your personality changed too. Do you mind if I ask what happened?" His breath still ragged.

Lena laughed, "I was wondering when this question would come up. To be truthful we don't know what happens, it just does. So we started calling it 'Dark Lena'. Dark Lena comes out whenever I get angry because my personality isn't very strong so it's like a defense mechanism created by my brain or something. It goes away quickly though."

Odie noticed she had said 'we' and not 'I'. This piqued his interest. "We?" He asked.

"My cousin and I." She said as she noticed the others turn a corner. "Let's hurry up to keep the others in our line of sight." She and Odie picked up the pace only to notice a ten foot long giant snake with Cronus on its back. She muttered an "Oh, crud." as she pulled Odie to off to the side to dodge the snake's tail.

Lena noticed that Archie wasn't so lucky in dodging the thing and was sent flying onto the lake, which was thankfully iced over.

"ARCHIE!" Atlanta called out for Archie worried about her best friend.

"I'm alright." Archie responded, just as Cronus saw the opportunity to rid him of one of the pesky heroes. He threw his sickle into the ice with enough force to send a crack right through it. The crack of ice spread all the way to Archie, causing him to lose his balance and fall into the freezing water.

Atlanta turned to jump into the water, only to see Lena, throwing her sweater and pants off to the side and jumping in after him. Lena quickly looked at Atlanta, her eyes telling her to get Cronus, Atlanta just nodded turning back to the battle.

Lena swam down in the water, her eyes desperately trying to locate Archie. They may not get along well, but he was one of them. A valuable part of the team; the warrior. Atlanta's best friend, and possibly Lena's favorite person to tease. Her eyes spotted the hero, and swam to him quickly. Just as her physical strength was about to fail on her, her arms wrapped around him, and she summoned whatever magical energy she had stored up. She forced the water to bend to her will; it created a funnel around them with Lena and a semi-conscious Archie standing in the center. The pressure from the water as it pushed them up, caused the surrounding ice to shatter, and the two were finally above ground.

The six remaining teens still fighting Cronus and the snake heard the time god say "Oh, crap." as he fled through one of his portals. The six turned to see Lena and Archie floating in the middle of a tornado made of water and ice.

Jay shouted for the others to move and hide behind the trees. The snake looked up at the newest threat and tried to flee like its master but it was already too late. The tornado hit it hard and the snake disappeared in a puff of ashes; defeated. Lena floated over to the others and placed Archie down first then landed near her clothes. Atlanta was at Archie's side in a matter of moments, making sure he was alright, and he was just cold and in shock.

Lena pulled out a towel from the bag she had dropped at the beginning of the battle, and began drying herself off. She noticed her skin had a bluish tint to it. Her eyes began to blur then, and waves of dizziness rushed over her. The last thing she saw was the snow covered ground approaching her face and fast. The rest was black.

Present: Lena's room.

That's right, she had fainted. She lifted her hand up to make sure it was cream colored again, when the door opened and the light flicked on.

"Oh good you're finally awake." Jay's voice sounded utterly relieved. "I'll go tell Athena." She heard the door close and the sound of footsteps rushing up the stairs.


	2. Sickness and Recovery

(A/N: YAY chapter two~! Excited. Allow me to apologize for and OOCness the characters may have. Some fluff in this chapter. Please continue to review)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans belongs to its legal owners, Lyrics belong to its legal owner.

Chapter Two: Sickness and Recovery

Lena attempted to sit up as best she could, and waited for the door to open again. The door opened with Atlanta at the front, Archie shortly behind her looking worried, and then Herry crashed into both of them causing them all to fall, with Atlanta on the bottom and Herry on the top with Archie squished in between them. Lena laughed, but it sounded hoarse, and it hurt. This surprised her, her voice never got hoarse.

Athena walked in past the group of fallen heroes. She had a thermometer in her hand. Lena cocked her head to the side, completely unsure of what was going on. Athena sat down on the bed beside her and placed a cold hand on her forehead. "Well," Athena said frowning, "it seems your fever has gone down. Say 'Ah'" She did as she was commanded. "Don't bite."

They waited for the thermometer to beep. Athena took it and shook her head, "38.5. You young lady are staying in bed until your fever goes down." She smiled then, "I'm glad you are awake, I'll make you some soup."

Lena looked at the others, who were standing near her door. She smiled, "You can come in you know," her voice was hoarse and she still found it strange. Frowning, she looked at her nightstand and found her pen and note pad. She wrote, '_I am quitting talking until my voice goes back to normal._'

Jay laughed, "That's a bit extreme, isn't it?"

Lena quickly wrote, '_I am an extreme person.'_

They all nodded in agreement, she was an extreme person. They gathered around her bed. They talked about things that had happened while she was passed out, while she ate the soup that Athena had brought up shortly after. She wrote in response, and on occasion she'd utter a hoarse laugh. Herry and Archie stayed back, and let the more talkative group members hold her attention.

Archie kept his voice low so even Jay, who was the closest to them, couldn't hear. "Why aren't you over there with them?"

Herry blushed and prayed Archie couldn't see it. "I could ask you the same thing." He lowered his voice to the same level as Archie's.

"She doesn't like me, remember? It's not the same case with you." Archie looked up to see Herry blushing. "Why are you blushing?"

Herry threw up his hands, and did a shushing motion. "Shh! I am not!" He said as loudly as he could without the group noticing.

Lena noticed Herry's movement and frowned. She wrote, '_What's up with those two?_'

Jay looked back, and asked "What are you two doing?"

Archie smirked, "Herry's being a spaz."

Herry sighed in defeat. "I'll be outside." He left, with his head down, trying to hide the blush that had darkened his face.

Lena's frowned deepened, '_Did I do something?_' She showed the note book to the others and they all shook their heads.

Athena walked in and said "She needs to get some more rest in order to completely recover; you can talk to her tomorrow after school." They all sighed in resignation, but as the others left, Archie, however, made no move follow.

Jay looked back inside, "You coming, Archie?"

"I'll be there in a minute." Archie said.

Lena looked at him suspiciously then turned to Jay, who was still standing in the doorway. '_Don't leave me alone with him!_' she wrote.

Archie sighed, "Look I can't say what I want to in front of the others, so just let me talk to you alone for two minutes."

Lena looked at Jay, sticking him right in the middle. "How about this, I wait outside within screaming distance if he tries anything, alright?"

Lena frowned but wrote, '_Fine, but he has to stay on that side of the room._'

Jay looked at Archie, "Is that alright with you, Arch?" Archie nodded, and waited for Jay to leave.

Before Archie could say anything Lena wrote, '_What do you want? Have you come to laugh at me for overusing my powers?_'

Archie looked surprised. "Of course not! You saved my life by doing what you did." Lena looked at him skeptically, but he ignored it. "I just wanted to say thank you." Lena pinched herself. "What are you doing?" His voice went from sincerity to annoyance.

'_Checking if I'm awake._' She wrote her answer.

"And are you?" He asked and she nodded. "Good," He turned away from her and started to leave, "Sleep well."

"Um, Archie…" She spoke, not liking the sound of it at all, but didn't continue until he stopped. "You're welcome." After Archie turned off the light and closed the door, he left.

Jay pushed away from the wall, "Did you thank her properly?" He figured that's what Archie had wanted to do.

Archie nodded, "Yeah, I did. But did you notice Herry acting strangely? I mean that was strange even for him. He was blushing too."

"He was blushing? You don't think?" Jay left his sentences incomplete.

"Herry and Lena? No, that's not possible." Archie paused, in both his thought and movement. "Is it? Do you think he even knows?"

"Let's not push the subject; we'll just confuse him more." They both nodded.

Several Days later:

Lena was standing in front of the mirror, her wet hair plastered to her face. She had just gotten out of the bath. Athena had told her, when she woke up, that her temperature had gone back to normal during the previous night. She wasn't to leave the Brownstone until she was completely recovered, but she was free to leave her room and roam around the building.

The past couple of days hadn't been that bad, even with her stuck in bed; the others came to visit her often. Of course she forced her male housemates to come in pairs, and leave the door open. She wasn't quite over her fear of men with them just yet. The only one who didn't visit her was Herry, and that had worried her. They usually got along well, but he seemed to be avoiding her now.

Lena shook her head removing all thoughts of Herry from her mind, thinking about the visits from the others instead. Jay being the total non-slacker he was, brought her homework and helped her work through it. Neil mostly told her about what happened to him that day, and she'd just nod along smiling. Archie and Atlanta often came together, and they'd explain what they done in training and in gym. Archie would leave first, while Atlanta would stay behind and they'd talk about random things, mostly previous missions from before she arrived. When Odie came to visit he'd bring some sort of video game he was making and she'd get her ass kicked while playing it. She felt really comfortable with Odie, and didn't really need anyone else to be there with them. Theresa would visit and bring news, and gossip, mostly gossip; the ridiculousness would cause the two to break out in laughter. It still bothered her that Herry hadn't even bothered in popping by to ask how she was doing, but she decided it would be best to not let herself worry about it.

Her voice had gone back to normal a couple of days ago, making it easier to have conversations, and so that she didn't have to write down answers anymore. Although this probably made it harder for Jay when she'd scream out in frustration at some ridiculous math problem he was trying to help her with. The other heroes had given up about seeing what was wrong when she did scream.

Lena sighed as she threw on her purple house coat, opting to get dressed in her bedroom. There was no one in the hall way, which surprised her because someone was always coming or going. She didn't waste time getting dressed, and brushing out her hair. Her eyes flickered to her clock, it glowed 12:30. That would explain the halls being empty, the others were at school. But even then it was quiet; usually she could hear Athena doing something or other. With a sigh she grabbed her MP3 and headed downstairs with hope that she might find something solid to eat.

Lena was singing away when she got to the kitchen, "_Just leave with me now, say the word and we'll go. I'll be your teacher I'll show you the ropes._"

She flicked on the light, only to be greeted by a chorus of "Congratulations!" It was only a moment later that she was covered in confetti. She could feel the blush cover her face, knowing that they had heard her singing so loudly.

Pulling out her earphones, Lena smiled confusedly. "What are we celebrating? And shouldn't you guys be at school?"

Jay stifled a laugh at his comrade's confused expression. "It's Saturday, and we're celebrating your recovery."

"Last time I checked I still wasn't allowed to leave the building." The look of confusion on her face increased.

Odie smiled, knowing how much dread this would cause her. "Athena said you should be well enough to return to school on Monday."

Lena felt her jaw drop and her eyes fill with tears. School was not something she had wanted to think about. "Well that kind of sucks," was all she muttered.

The six of the seven other heroes looked at her, and almost started to laugh. Lena frowned as she noticed that Herry was still ignoring her. "What's so funny?" She pouted, but she kept her eyes on Herry.

"It's nothing." Theresa said clapping her on the shoulder. "We're just glad you're recovered."

Lena looked away from Herry to look at her. "I'm glad too, it gets very boring sitting in bed waiting for you guys to come home." 'Even though,' she thought to herself, 'one of you is ignoring me.' Her frown deepened at the thought.

"Keep frowning like that and you're going to get wrinkles," Neil said nonchalantly, not looking up from his mirror.

"Keep looking in that mirror, and you'll have grey hair before you know it." Lena retorted playfully. Neil just looked at her with shock and dismay. Lena smiled, "Although with your luck, you'll probably be a good looking old guy, Neil."

He went back looking in his mirror. "And don't I know it." They all laughed at that.

They talked, and laughed awhile. Herry decided that it was time for him to take his leave. Jay noticed this and spoke, "Herry where are you going? We're just about to eat." He too had noticed Herry's lack of interest in Lena's recovery, but hadn't brought it up.

Herry smiled weakly, "I'm not really that hungry."

The room went quiet, and everyone looked at Herry with their mouths open. Even Neil, who had been trying to fix his already perfect hair, dropped his mirror to look at his friend. Athena was at his side in less than a second to check his temperature. She frowned "Well, you don't have a fever."

"Don't worry, I'm not sick, I'm just not hungry."

"That's even worse!" Lena stated. They all looked at her, even Herry. Her brows furrowed, she began to think, 'The only thing that could make Herry not want to eat is…' Her thought trailed off. She looked at him, "Herry, is there this squeezing pain in your chest?" He nodded, and she continued. "And does it feel like there's a fluttering in your stomach?" He nodded again. Lena frowned, "Have you been hanging around Aphrodite recently?"

"Not more than necessary, why?" It was Herry's turn to frown.

"Because," Lena paused, "it sounds like you're love sick." She watched as Herry's face turned three shades of red. "So, who's the lucky girl?"

Jay and Archie looked at her with shock on their face, but she didn't notice. Both of their thoughts were on the same page. 'It's you! You idiot!'

"So," Atlanta interjected, "who wants cake?"

Lena's attention was brought back to the celebration, "I do!"

Jay clapped Herry's shoulder, "We're sorry she's so dense."

Archie nodded in agreement. Herry stuttered, "W-what makes you think it's her?"

Jay looked at him skeptically, "You really think we wouldn't notice? So, since the secret is out you going to stay for the celebration?"

Herry sighed, "Fine, I'll stay. That cake does look good."

Archie stood by Jay, watching as Herry grabbed himself some cake. "You know they'd be the perfect couple, if they weren't so simple minded."

The celebration continued, and before the young heroes knew it, it was late.

Athena looked at the clock, "You kids should be getting to bed soon." She said while walking off.

Lena stretched, and looked at the calendar. "I need to get some things done too. Thanks guys, I had fun."

They watched as she headed up the stairs. Archie spoke first, "Well that was strange." They all nodded. Atlanta looked at the calendar, but didn't see anything memorable about it. They all shrugged it off, it was not the first time Lena had acted strange around them, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

Theresa yawned and stretched, "Athena's right we all should get some sleep."

"I agree." Jay said looking around. The others reluctantly nodded, and headed off to their separate rooms. Jay looked at Herry, who was still sitting there. "Herry?"

"After one more piece of cake." Herry smiled, with a gleam of hunger in his eyes.

Jay laughed, and shook his head. "Alright, just don't let Athena catch you." Jay waved as he went up the stairs.

Herry grabbed himself another piece of cake, and ate it happily, careful to keep the noise down afraid of alerting the Goddess of War and Wisdom. He silently headed up the stairs.

Lena had heard the others footsteps, and the sounds of the closing doors, a clear sign of her team mates going to bed. She pulled on the sleeves of her white dress, which she had changed into all of five minutes ago. The fabric was thicker than her other dresses, and she hoped it would offer her some decent protection against the cold winter night she was about to face. Grabbing her bag of candles, she left her room, silently, and moved up to the stairs that lead directly to the roof, glad that someone had shoveled off all the snow.

Herry found himself rubbing his eyes. Had he just seen a ghost? He blinked at the spot where he saw the figure dressed in white, it was gone. He was unsure if he should get the others, or if he should check it out first. If he was just seeing things and he got the others; he'd look like a fool, but if he wasn't and he didn't do get the others; it might turn out like that incident with Campe. That was when he had heard a creek, it was familiar, and someone or something had gone onto the roof. He tiptoed to the roof door, not bothering to think that it may be a trap. He opened the door as quietly as possible; hoping that whatever it was it didn't have super hearing. His eyes scanned the darkness, and when he saw the white clad figure sitting there, glowing; he swallowed hard. The crimson hair, pale skin that was all too familiar; it was Lena. She was sitting in a pentagram, the light from her candles flickered across her white dress.

Lena had heard the door open, unsurprised to feel Herry's energy behind her, he wasn't the sneakiest of her companions, that much was for sure. He had probably stayed up late to get an extra piece of cake. She pretended not to notice as her thumbs moved over her moonstone pendant. It was a full moon tonight, and she was going to use it to her full advantage to recharge her powers. She waited for him to say something.

Herry was still looking at her, surprised to see her in anything other than pants. He swallowed again, trying to find his voice, but his eyes kept looking at how the dress pooled around her body. He began to imagine how it would flow around her if she stood, thinking that it would be much too long on her. His thoughts then began to imagine the feel of the fabric as he removed it, and that then traveled to darker, more intimate thoughts. Thoughts, he began to realize, that would only make her cry if she ever caught wind of them. He quickly shook his head to remove all thoughts from his mind, and he spoke, "L-" His voice was rough so he coughed before continuing. "Lena?"

"I'm surprised that you chose this time to finally come and visit me, Herry" Her voice was calm, and maybe even a little bit cold. Her thumbs continued to rub the moonstone, feeling just the slightest bit of power coming off of it.

Herry looked at her and blinked. She couldn't be angry that he hadn't come to see her while she was recovering, could she? "Sorry." His hand moved to the back of his head, "Things got a bit hectic with Hercules."

"Is that so?" She could tell he was lying, he was terrible at lying.

He found himself taking a step closer to her. "So," He paused, "shouldn't you be inside? You are still recovering after all."

"I'll go inside once I'm done." She said, hearing him take a step closer made her tense.

"What are you doing?" He asked, pausing in his approach noticing how she had tensed up.

"I'm regaining my strength." She could feel the approach of midnight. She was waiting for the witching hour to strike.

He looked at her again, and it looked like she was waiting for something. "Just how do you intend to do that?" He paused, "And why are you glowing?"

Keeping her eyes on her moonstone pendant, she responded. "I am glowing because of the magical energy that I am trying to regain, and I am doing it by waiting for midnight on the night of a full moon."

"What happens at midnight?"

"Witching hour."

"Witching hour?" He repeated it.

She sighed. "Witching hour is when the veil is thinnest. Witches use it to their advantage; mostly for ceremonies. But nights of the full moon are the most powerful, so we can draw upon that power and add it to our supply through talismans, or crystals, and specific stones." Her thumb stroked the moonstone again. The thrum of her heartbeat sped up as the clock approached midnight, she was excited.

"But you just got over a fever! Why tonight?" He didn't understand her reasoning.

She sighed again. "Because if Cronus appears then you guys will need me at full strength."

That stopped him, he didn't ask any more questions, and he just watched her. He couldn't deny she was right, but he also didn't want to see her actually get sick.

Lena sucked in a breath, as the clock tower across town struck midnight. She could feel the magic flowing into the pentagram, then into her pendant and finally into her. The feeling was overwhelming.

Herry watched as the flames of the candles got larger, as they began to dance around her. He watched as she collapsed forward, head touching the cold stone of the roof. He could hear her ragged breathing. He watched as the candle light died down back to the tiny flickering flames.

Lena leaned forward to blow out the purple candle in front of her, "Spirit." She slowly moved to the red one and blew it out, "Fire.", the yellow one was next, "Air.", then blue, "Water." and the last one was green, "Earth." She rolled onto her back, breathing hard; she didn't remember it being this painful when she did it the last time.

Herry went to her side after she rolled onto her back. Lena jumped when he came into her line of sight; she had forgotten he had been there.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'll be fine after a hot cup of coco, and a good night's rest." Her left hand clutched the still warm moonstone pendant, while she lifted her right hand up. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up, the touch sent a shock to his very core, and it wasn't unpleasant. Her legs buckled, and his hand wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling. This single movement put the two of them very close together. Lena could feel his breath in her hair, she could also feel blush covering her face almost instantly. But neither one of them pulled away. Herry silently prayed she couldn't hear how fast his heart was beating.

Herry laughed shakily and quickly pulled away first. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?"

Lena turned to hide the blush that covered her face, "Of course I am." She began to gather the candles off the ground, making sure they cooled enough so that they wouldn't get wax all over her bag. She looked at pentagram she had drawn, waved her free hand over it willing it to disappear, and it did. A shudder ran through her and she hugged her arms close. She hadn't realized how cold it actually was.

"We should get inside before you catch a cold." Herry opened the door and ushered her inside, she didn't protest, and he followed her. She shuddered once again as the warmth of the inside of the building hit her. She headed to the kitchen and she prepared a double boiler. He had followed her finding her behavior strange. She was digging in the cupboards. Her brows furrowed as her reach deepened. "If you don't keep it down, you'll notify Athena." He said with a smirk.

"Got it!" Lena's voice was quiet as she pulled out the container of white hot chocolate mix. She looked inside the canister, noticing that there was just enough for two cups. She looked at Herry, "Want some?" She noticed his face was red, but figured it was from standing out in the cold.

Herry was looking at her again; her flushed cheeks, the white dress that was in fact too long for her, the way her brows furrowed and that way she pouted, not able to find what she was looking for. She looked absolutely cute, while doing it. He covered up his mouth trying not to laugh. She was looking at him now, she had said something but he hadn't heard what it was. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked do you want some." She wagged the can at him.

"Um…Sure" He nodded, and sat down.

She sighed and shook her head, grabbing two mugs from the cupboard, and poured the mix in and throwing out the can. She grabbed the milk from the fridge and poured it into the double boiler; she began to wait for the milk to heat up.

The silence was tense. The only sound was the bubbling of the water. Lena could feel Herry's eyes bore into her once again, and for the second time that night she had felt herself blush because of him. She poured the milk into the mugs, each with their own spoons; she stirred both and walked to the island. She placed Herry's mug in front of him before going to sit down on the opposite end, clearly trying to put some space between them.

"You know," she said, staring into her cup "if you keep staring at me like that, you're going to give others the wrong impression about us."

"Sorry, I was just thinking that you look really cute tonight." He blushed and scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

Lena's head shot up, and once again she blushed. But then shook her head and said "Please, don't joke about that!"

He blinked, and thought 'She thinks it's a joke? Jay's right she is really dense.' He couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" She was flustered now.

He waved his hand in a dismissive motion, "It's nothing. Sorry."

Lena went back to looking at her drink. "So," she said quietly, "What's this girl like? The one that you like, I mean."

He looked at her with surprise, completely unsure on what to tell her. "Well," he paused; thinking of what exactly to tell her, "She's really brave."

"Bravery is good, mainly when she finds out that you fight mythological creatures in your spare time." She took a sip, letting the taste melt in her mouth. She swallowed, "Continue please."

He thought, 'She's sitting right in front of me.' What he said out loud was, "She's really dense." This caused Lena to look up in confusion, but he continued. "She also cries a lot." He was on a roll now, "She tries to pull herself away from others, and sometimes gets a faraway look in her eyes. But I can't look at her and think that she's weak. Because somehow I know she's stronger than anyone."

"Do you mean emotionally? Because Herry, you are possibly the strongest human on this planet." Lena looked at him, her interest clearly peaked. She was halfway done her drink.

"Yes emotionally." Here he was ranting about her, and she was completely oblivious!

"Please, continue." She watched as he took a long sip of his drink.

He began again, "She'd do anything for a friend. She doesn't open up to anyone, and she's frustrating to be with sometimes." 'Like now when you're so oblivious.' He thought. "She can be really cute without trying, and she's-" His voice trailed off and his thoughts continued his sentence '-right in front of me.'

Herry jumped when he heard a cough behind him, and from the look on Lena's face he could already tell who it was. He turned around slowly, and saw storming grey eyes looking at them. "Just what do you two think you're doing at one in the morning?" They both looked at the clock and gasped, when had it gotten so late?

Lena spoke first, "I'm sorry this is my fault!" They both looked at her as she continued. "I couldn't fall asleep so I came down here to get some warm milk, hoping it would help me sleep. But I guess I made too much noise and Herry came down to check, and we kind of lost track of time talking. We'll go to bed now, I'm sorry if we woke you." She finished the rest of the liquid in her mug and Herry did the same. Both of them fled up the stairs.

Jay heard the footsteps coming up the stairs as he sat as his desk studying, and sighed. Herry had gotten caught by Athena that much was clear. He poked his head out the door, "I told you not to get-" He looked surprised to see both Herry and Lena out of breath at the top of the stairs. "Didn't you go to bed first?"

"I said I had some things to first, didn't I?" She half laughed.

"I didn't think any of them included Herry or Athena." Jay laughed.

She looked at Jay then at Herry, "They didn't, he followed me."

"Because you looked like a ghost when I saw you turn the corner." Herry exclaimed.

"Is that why you followed me up to the roof? Because you thought I was a ghost?" She looked at him with disbelief.

Jay looked at Lena, and somehow he could believe Herry's statement. "What were you doing on the roof?" His eyes focused on Lena.

"I was regaining my strength." She said innocently.

"But you just over a fever!" Jay exclaimed.

"That's what I said!" Herry looked at her too.

The others who had been trying to sleep were wide awake now, except for Odie who slept peacefully in the basement. They all peered out at the arguing trio. "But if Cronus attacks you'll need me at full strength!" Lena explained.

"Not at the risk of you getting sick again!" Jay had left his room to glare at the smaller girl.

"Guys." Theresa called lightly, but she was ignored.

Lena looked back and forth between Herry and Jay, but saw neither one of them backing down. She willed herself not to cry, even though the tears still filled her eyes. "Look, I understand what I did was reckless, and I know I just got over a fever. But that was all from exhaustion, not from the water." She looked at Jay, "What I did was for the greater good of defeating Cronus. You of all people should understand that."

Neil was becoming irritated, "GUYS!" The three turned to see the others peering out of their doorways looking at them. "Finally, now if you would all be quiet so I can try to get some beauty sleep."

"We should all be getting some sleep." Theresa looked at Jay, her eyes one hundred percent serious. He simply nodded and went back inside his room. "Lena, we have a physics test on Monday, I suggest you get some sleep, and do some studying tomorrow. If you have any questions you can ask me tomorrow night."

Lena nodded sadly, and headed into her room. It was clear she had been grounded by Theresa, and there was no way she was going to ignore the older girl.

Theresa stood there tapping her foot against the floor, glaring at Herry. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Herry looked at her, "What?"

"If you did anything to her Herry, I swear I will…" Her thought trailed off, she would let his mind figure out the rest.

"I didn't do anything! We just talked." He threw his hands in the air in an exasperated motion, and whispered. "Do all of you know?"

"Even Neil does." She hitched her thumb over to Lena's room. "She's the only who doesn't know."

Herry sighed, "So basically, it's like all us of knowing about your liking Jay," He watched as she blushed, "or like how Archie likes Atlanta."

She sighed, and nodded. "Let's just get some sleep before Athena comes to check what all the noise was about." She went back inside her room and flopped back into bed.

Herry felt drained, and decided to head into his room for some sleep.

It was early morning when Lena awoke that morning; her clock told her it was six. She groaned and rolled over, but knew she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. She got up and was automatically grateful that she went to bed with pajamas on. She headed down the stairs quietly as to not wake the others; she had already done that once today, she didn't intend to do it again. She paused when she noticed the kitchen light on, hoping that it was Odie, who wasn't angry at her. She peaked around the corner, and was instantly spotted by one of the two people she didn't want to see. Jay sat there with a spoon in his mouth. Of course the other one she didn't want to see was Theresa, it was clear that she was angry, that and she had grounded her to her room. Lena let out a sigh as she walked into the kitchen. She automatically went to the cupboard and began the process of gathering cereal.

Jay noticed the black semi-circles under her eyes, and how she was slightly more pale than usual. "Didn't sleep well I take it."

"It was a restless sleep," Was all she said as she poured the milk. "It happens." She shrugged it off as she sat down.

"I see." Jay could feel the tension rolling off of her in waves.

Lena swallowed her bite of cereal, and looked at him. "What? Quit staring at me like that you'll give Theresa the wrong idea."

Jay blushed, and she smirked in response. "It's not like that with us."

"So then this game of flirt and tease you have going is just something everyone's made up?" She looked at him skeptically, and rolled her eyes, going back to eating her food.

He went back to eating his breakfast, muttering something about how it's not true. They ate in silence for a while; although he occasionally needed to look up to see if she was still there. That was when he noticed the scars running up the inside of her arm, over her veins to be precise. They were tiny but they were meant do go deep, and knowing Lena she had probably gotten the depth that she had wanted.

"Lena," Jay's eyes were wide. "Show me your arms."

She flinched back, she realized what he had noticed and cringed. "And if I say no?"

"Lena," His eyes were serious. She showed them to him reluctantly. He traced the red scars up her arm noticing that they get darker as it approached the veins in her elbow. "Who did this to you?" 'And why didn't I notice before?' His eyes widened, that was why she always wore a sweater, or her elbow high gloves.

"No one did this to me. I did it to myself." She said as she pulled away, looking at her bowl of cereal, which now looked completely unappetizing. She sighed as she pushed it away. She sensed Theresa specific energy, and sighed again wondering how long she had been standing there, and why she hadn't sensed her earlier. "It's alright, Theresa, you can come in."

Theresa gasped, surprised that Lena had known she was there. She then cursed softly for making her presence known. Theresa walked in, embarrassed she had been caught.

Lena watched as Theresa got some breakfast and sat down. Theresa spoke first, "So, what's going on?"

Lena sighed and showed Theresa her arms, she instantly caught on to what the conversation was about and dropped her spoon to cover her mouth, and it clattered against the floor loudly. "You're going to wake the others if you keep making that much noise." Lena said, her eyes narrowing to look at her arms.

"Why would you do something like that to yourself?" Theresa voice was shaking.

"I did it to remove the taint inside of my body." She was speaking through riddles. She didn't want to directly remember what had happened. "My mother found me, and of course she rushed me to a hospital." Her hands clenched into fists. "That was just over a year ago. It didn't take me long to recover, and break out of the hospital. I returned home, when I knew no one would be there, grabbed as much stuff as I could carry, and I ran. I quickly fled the province. Nine months later, I attend new Olympus high, you find me, and the battle with Cronus truly began."

Jay and Theresa's eyes held nothing but sorrow for their friend, and she made a gagging motion. "Please stop that. It's making me sick." Lena's voice was cold. "I don't need pity, and it's over I'm fine now." She smiled then, even if it was a bit sad. "I have you guys now, don't I? And I currently no longer have a wish to die anymore." She got up and poured out her breakfast into the sink, and they watched as she left.

Theresa was slightly shaking, afraid for her friend. Jay placed a hand on her shoulder, her head lightly rested on his; she was trying not to cry. He held her until she stopped shaking, glaring out the window. Cursing whoever put that look on Lena's face. "Theresa," Jay spoke softly, "we are not going to speak a word to Herry about this." She simply nodded against his shoulder.

The two stayed like that for a while until they heard the others approach the kitchen. Jay laughed shakily, and Theresa pulled away twirling a piece of hair between two fingers. Atlanta walked in first, she began to smile, "Oh sorry, are we interrupting?"

Both of them blushed slightly, "Of course not." Jay said.

Theresa let out a sigh as she looked at her cereal, which at that point had turned into mush. She poured it out and got herself a new bowl.

Archie was leaning on the doorway, "Maybe we should come back in about half an hour. That should give them time to finish."

Jay's mouth opened wide, looking at his friend in disbelief, while Theresa dropped her bowl on the counter.

Odie laughed, "You shouldn't tease them like that guys." He looked at the younger teens pretending to scold them with his finger.

Jay sighed, "I'm going back to studying now." He got up and walked past the three and headed up the stairs.

Lena was attempting to study, but her heart just wasn't in it. The equations all slid together, and the words were jumbled on the page. With a sigh, she closed the physics book, and headed downstairs. She heard the TV on in the main room, but headed to the kitchen instead. It was empty, assuming that everyone was watching TV; she got a glass of orange juice, finished it, and then walked into the main room. The room was almost empty, except that Herry sat there watching it blankly.

"Where is everyone?" She asked, wondering how long it would take Herry to turn into a zombie at the rate he was going.

"Archie and Atlanta went to the movies." He looked at her slightly, his attention mostly on the television in front of him. "Jay, Theresa, and Odie went to the school to study, saying something about how three minds work better than one, and Neil said something about having a photo shoot."

Lena looked at him, and sighed as she sat down on the other end of the couch. "So why are you still here?"

"House sitting, Athena went out." He looked at her more seriously. "What about you? Weren't you supposed to be studying for that physics test?"

"I couldn't concentrate properly." She rubbed her eyes, she was tired. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Are you alright? It wasn't because of last night was it?" Concern covered his face.

She looked at him, "I'm fine, I just couldn't sleep that's all."

"Have you tried taking a nap?"

"This morning." After she had told Jay and Theresa about her scars, but of course the conversation kept popping up inside her head, causing her to toss and turn, until she ultimately gave up.

"I see." Herry eyes returned back to the television, suddenly aware of how alone they truly were.

Lena's eyes drifted up to the ceiling her head leaning on the back of the couch. She began to remember their conversation last night, and it bothered her that he hadn't finished his sentence before Athena had arrived. "Herry." Her brow furrowed again, why was she so curious about this girl that had captured his heart?

The sound of her voice made him jump, "Yeah?"

"You know, last night you never did finish telling me about the girl you like." She was looking at him again. Surprise hit her when blush colored his face, as he remembered where he left his sentence incomplete, the very sentence where he was about to confess that she was the one he had fallen for. Her surprise was then crushed by an intense feeling of intrigue, she found herself unconsciously moving closer to him.

He swallowed, very aware of how close she was getting. "You really don't want to know more about this do you?"

"I asked didn't I?" Lena's knees nearly brushed against Herry's legs, her toes barely touching the floor.

Herry let out a sigh, trying not to look at her, and trying to keep his heart rate steady.

She spoke again, "I," she looked down at the space between them, "just want to know about the woman who's lucky enough to have you chasing after her." She was hoping that he couldn't see the blush that had formed on her face.

His head whipped toward her, thankful that she was still looking at the couch. He could feel the blush burn through his face. He found himself thinking, 'Had she just said that? About him? Oh Gods, why did she have to be so cute sometimes?' He swallowed again, hoping to find his voice, "I don't think there is anything else to tell."

She looked up at him, and was surprised at how close his face was. She could feel her heart beat pick up, and that surprised her more. Her instinct was to close that distance, but she ignored it and pushed it aside. 'Wait.' She thought, 'Heart racing, curious about who he liked, wanting to-.' She didn't finish the thought instead she began searching her emotions, although her face showed no change. 'Is that hope?' She pictured a foot stomping on that tiny bud of hope, and it seemed to give her the will to break the stalemate between them. She turned, staring down at her hands. "Just…" Her voice was quiet, "forget I asked. I'm sorry."

Herry reached his hand out to touch her but pulled it back the moment he realized what he was doing. He had wanted to hug her, but he knew that she'd probably pull away, or worse.

Lena let out a petite sigh, knowing that he couldn't hear it. Her heart had calmed down, and she felt relatively calm herself. She leaned back again, without making eye contact with him she placed her head on his shoulder. "Herry," His name came out as a whisper.

Herry was frozen, but his heart was threatening to break out of his rib cage. She was leaning on him, a movement that was enough to freeze his own movements completely. She had whispered his name, and he knew that he needed to respond. "Yeah?" His voice was also no more than a whisper, mostly because he couldn't find it.

"I'm hoping that…even if you do get a girlfriend…that we can still have moments like this." Lena was using her hair to hide her face, more importantly the blush that seemed to be almost permanent when she was with Herry, and she was doing it quite well.

He was taken aback by the statement, but his hand stroked her hair. His voice was soothing, "Of course we will."

She simply nodded, while his arm snaked around her shoulder, a movement, she figured, he used to get more comfortable. She used it as a way to snuggle in closer, and unintentionally fall asleep. He hadn't noticed, and had just let the silence drag on.

He had to tell her, there was no way, while sitting in this position, could he not tell her. "Lena," his voice was still quiet, "the girl that I like…is you." He paused, waiting for her response. But there was nothing, no tension, no her falling off in the couch in embarrassment, no, although the likely hood of this happening was slim, 'I like you too'. "Lena?" He asked. He brushed the hair aside, noticing her eyes were closed. He then heard the almost silent snores coming from her. At first he was unsure how to feel about the situation. He had used all that courage to tell her that he liked her, and she was asleep! It made him frustrated, but looking at her sleeping face gave him a certain pleasure. He'd save his frustration for another day, but right now he'd enjoy this secret moment between them.

Lena woke when she heard the others come home; she was lying in a weird position against a hard chest. An arm rested around her shoulder, she let her eyes drift to the chest she was currently using as a pillow, noticing a green shirt, causing her to blush.

She heard the others footsteps approach the room, and then she heard Jay's surprised voice, "Oh! Sorry! Are we interrupting?"

Lena sat up in a rush, moving over to the other side of the couch. Blush colored her face a deep scarlet. "It's not what it looks like!"

Jay arched an eyebrow, but decided that now would be a perfect time to get her back for that morning. "So you weren't just cuddling with Herry?"

Lena's blush, to her surprise, deepened a clear sign that Jay's guess was correct. "I need to study!" She exclaimed as she fled up the stairs and to her room.

Herry's face was a bright tomato red, as he looked up at Jay. "She passed out."

"And used you as a pillow?" Jay said with a smirk.

"That's pretty much what happened."

"Well, did you at least tell her?"

"I did, sort of."

"Sort of?"

"She was asleep when I did. Or she is extremely good at acting." His brows furrowed.

Jay sighed, he just couldn't help it. "Knowing her, she was probably asleep."

Theresa and Atlanta walked in then; they had left Odie and Archie, in the kitchen, talking about some ridiculous thing that seemed rather trivial. They looked at Herry and Jay's facial expressions. "Lena?" They both asked in unison.

"How could someone be that dense?" Atlanta asked.

Theresa stifled a laugh, "I don't think she'd appreciate hearing that from you."

Atlanta looked at her confused, "What? Why not?" She asked Theresa as she left the room following her, demanding some sort of answer, but alas did not get one.


	3. Summer Vacation Part one: Plans

(A/N: Yay chapter three! It is apparently shorter than I though it was. Shortest chapter yet. I have good news! I did an outline last night of how many chapters there will be and it seems that 19 (because chapter four is split into two parts) chapters and two parts of epilogue is how it'll turn out. So I hope that you all can continue supporting me for that long. There is also no fluff in this chapter. Which is kind of sad. D= ) (I forgot to write an authors note the first time I posted this...I was just excited to post it up. And now onto chapter three!)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans belongs to it's legal owners.

Chapter 3: Summer Vacation Part One: Plans

The next semester passed by without too many difficulties. They still fought Cronus, they still went to school, and they still did some of the usual stuff that teenagers do.

New Olympus High: The last day of school. Lunch

Archie, Herry, Jay, Lena, Neil, and Odie were sitting at a table eating lunch, each in their own ways. Jay ate ceremoniously, Archie had his nose in a new poetry book while he picked at his food, Herry was already done and waiting for the others, Neil was making sure that his teeth were still perfect, Odie had his laptop out doing some top secret research for Hermes, and Lena had an apple in her mouth while she read her latest novel, it was almost six hundred pages and she was already half way through, no doubt to be done it within the next 24 hours, she had her MP3 on, although they all knew she could still hear them.

Herry had tried multiple things to try to get Lena's attention, but nothing new had happened since the day he almost confessed. He had tried to make her jealous, but that didn't work. When he pointed out how cute a girl was, she'd look up and agree, and probably even tell him what she liked about her features. Of course when she did this they all looked at her and she'd shrug and say it was from an artist's point of view. The way she looked at everything with such a detached expression was infuriating sometimes. He sighed; it was almost second nature to him now.

Lena spoke not looking away from her book, "You know, Herry, the best way to get her to realize that you like her, is just by telling her." Her eyes lifted from her book, for just a second, only to see Theresa on the second floor with some unknown guy. Without intending to, she smirked. Closing her book, she let everyone's eyes follow hers. "Well, now what have we here? I didn't know hunting season was open this long." She said with that in same detached voice she used for just about everything but the smirk on her lips gave away how amused she truly was.

Jay was the last one to turn to look, but when he did he did not like what he saw. Theresa was blatantly flirting with that guy! His eyes had gone wide, while an almost overwhelming sensation of jealousy ran through him. He opened his mouth but nothing came out.

Odie looked at Lena, confused by her words. "What do you mean 'hunting season'?"

She placed her hand under her chin, her index finger tapping it lightly. "Maybe hunting was the wrong word. Mating might have been better." Her smile grew as Jay's head whipped around to look at her. She was baiting him and he was falling for it completely. "Or maybe Theresa's just getting tired of waiting for a specific 'Cronus fighting robot' to make his move."

Archie and Odie's eyes were pleading with her to stop, her eyes met with theirs and they showed just how confident she was about the situation. She was avoiding looking at Herry altogether, afraid that he might begin to hate her for doing this.

"Lena," Jay was surprised at how cold his voice was, "I do not need to explain myself to you. Our goal is to defeat Cronus, nothing more and nothing less."

"Can you really say that it was worth it if she ends up with another man?" She was leaning on her hand now, all amusement seeped out of her and she was now serious about the topic, she had wanted to know Jay's reason for doing this for awhile. He was looking at her unsure of what to say. Lena took this opportunity to gather her stuff, and put it in her bag. She was standing now, her eyes back on Jay. "I suggest you use this summer to remember why you're doing this, Jay." She turned to leave.

Jay's eyes had narrowed on her back. He spoke, "Then what's your reason?"

Lena paused, and took a controlled breath. She looked back, "So I can stand in front of my father's grave and have him be proud of me." She left, without looking back.

Jay sat back down, exhausted. 'What had been that look in her eyes?' he thought. Whatever it was, it had sent chills up his spine, a clear sign that it was dangerous.

"Lena…" Neil paused. "can be kind of scary."

The others nodded, Jay eyes snapped open. "Odie, you and Lena are pretty close, has she told you anything about her home life?"

Odie frowned, "No, but…" He was unsure about whether to tell them or not.

"But?" The look on Jay's face didn't give him much choice.

"Hermes has had me looking into her past, for the past couple of months." Odie admitted, but then his frown deepened.

"That look on your face means that you haven't been very successful."

"Not at all, I've been pretty successful. But it's not a happy story, and I wish that you'd ask her about it yourself."

"I-" Sometimes Jay's curiosity got the better of him. "I'll ask her myself." Odie simply let out a sigh of relief.

Ladies change room, after school.

"Lena…" Theresa said, while putting on her sweats for afternoon training.

"Yeah? What's up?" Lena said while swapping her gloves for the ones with grips.

"Jay was acting strangely today after lunch, you don't know why? Do you?"

Atlanta looked at Lena, "Archie was acting strange too, and normally you wait until one of us get to the table before leaving, but you weren't there when I arrived."

"Well, this time you can blame it on Theresa for flirting with one of our seniors in a spot where we all could see." Lena smiled.

Atlanta's eyes locked onto the strawberry blondes. "You were what?"

"That's not what happened!" Theresa said in her own defense. "He came up to me and told me he liked me. I politely refused."

Lena looked at Theresa, "It didn't look like that from where Jay was sitting."

"Crap." Theresa muttered.

"Of course…" Lena paused, "I didn't help the situation any either. Mostly because I didn't think it would be polite to repeat the conversation to them."

"How in Hades did you hear that?" Theresa's face was beet red.

"I didn't. I can lip read, it's one of my many talents." Lena said while braiding her unfortunately long hair, with a look of detest on her face.

"If it's that annoying, why not get it cut?" Atlanta said while noticing Lena's look.

"That means going across the country, and back home. Forget it." Lena's eyes narrowed.

"Back to point. Why were Jay and Archie acting strangely?" Theresa said.

"I think the Cronus fighting robot had his first emotion today." Lena blatantly ignored the question.

"Lena!" The other two exclaimed.

'Wow.' Lena thought blandly, "I'm making everyone angry today aren't I?" Out loud she said, "I told Jay that he should probably remember why he's fighting Cronus. What was his reason? The whole table heard so it might have affected Archie as well."

The other two sighed, that explained so much. "Sorry." Lena mumbled as she headed to the training room.

The next morning: The Kitchen.

Jay was stretching as he walked down the stairs; he saw the kitchen light on, thinking that it was probably Theresa. He did pause, however, when the smell of coffee hit his nose. He pressed forward, slowly. He then heard an unfamiliar laugh, well almost unfamiliar. 'Lena' He thought with a sigh, slightly relieved but also slightly disappointed, he still hadn't had a chance to talk to Theresa alone, since yesterday. He walked to the kitchen, only to pause outside the door, when he heard her talk.

"I wish you could be here with me. I miss you." Lena spoke, sadness seeped through her voice.

Jay looked at her. 'Was she talking to herself?' He wondered silently.

Lena sped around in her chair, now very much aware of Jay's silent presence. "How do you people keep sneaking up on me? Hang on Annette." Her wet hair stuck to her face, and she pressed a button.

Jay looked at the laptop, which was now visible. He saw the figure of a teenage girl on the screen. "Sorry. I didn't mean startle you."

Her eyes narrowed, "I hope you know and feel bad that you are interrupting my call with my cousin."

"You're the one who's in the kitchen."

"I'm in the kitchen because I didn't want to wake you guys up when I broke out in laughter. That and there's coffee down here."

"What are you doing up so early?"

"I haven't been to bed yet, what's your excuse?"

"I'm always up this early, unlike someone who doesn't usually get up until noon."

Lena's eyes narrowed again, and she took out the headphones that were sitting in her ears, placing them on her laptop. She stood her arms crossed and she looked up at Jay, glaring. Although it probably would have been more effective if she had been taller, and didn't have to stand on her tiptoes to look him in the eyes. "If you have a problem with me, then say so."

"I don't want to get into this with your cousin listening." He nodded towards the laptop.

"She can't hear us I muted the mic."

It was that moment that Annette had decided to speak, loud enough for them to hear even without the earphones being in. "I FEEL SO ALONE!"

Lena sighed, "Another time then." She went back to the laptop, placing the earphones in, but she typed instead of talked.

"I thought you said you muted the mic."

"I muted my mic, not hers." She took a sip of her coffee. "So talk as much as you want. She can't hear you."

Jay went to go get himself some food. "Aren't you eating? Despite it being summer we still have to train."

"I'll eat before we leave." Lena held up a finger to keep him from retorting. He shot her a look; she simply glanced up and spoke. "I am putting the mic back on." Her attention turned back to the laptop, "Sleep well, love, call me tonight when you're off work." She waited a bit, and then shut down the computer. A faint blush colored her cheeks, embarrassed that she had said that in front of Jay.

Jay was having hard time trying not to laugh. "So you can be cute." He said, unintentionally.

Lena looked at him aghast. "I really wish you people would stop joking about that!"

He sat down on the other side of the table, "About yesterday…" He started on the one conversation she didn't want to talk about. "I think that you were right. All of this wouldn't be worth it if she wasn't with me."

This surprised her; he was never honest with her about his relationship with Theresa, "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't have said all of that yesterday."

"No what you said made sense, really it did. But there's something I want to ask you about."

"I may possibly answer."

"I want to know about your past. Yesterday, you spoke about your father's grave, what happened?"

A smile formed on her face, it was an amused smile. "Sure, I'll tell you, but on one condition."

"Yeah?" Jay was unsure about that smile.

"I'll tell you about my past if you and Theresa get together before the summer ends."

This made Jay's lips form into a smile, a mirror of Lena's own. "Deal."

"What sort of deal are you two making at eight in the morning?" Odie asked, coming in covering a giant yawn, and rubbing his eyes.

"Let's just say, the game has begun." Lena said with a knowing smile, but got up to get ready to start the new day.

Two weeks later.

Lena was about to die, or at least it seemed like it. The heat was nearly unbearable, and she seemed to be the only one affected by it. So she sat in front of the fan, simply waiting for it to cool down, it wasn't working. "Why don't we have air conditioning?" She muttered, as she flipped through the newspaper that was sitting on the coffee table. She began looking for interesting advertisements, when one article caught her eye.

_Fireworks at Local Beach!_

_Need a new way to beat the heat._

_Local beach offers cool drinks, and light snacks._

_With a new addition to this summer tradition_

_For the next week (July 15__th__-July 22__nd__) _

_The__ beach offers a free fireworks display._

Lena didn't bother to finish reading the article, 'When was the last time she had gone to the beach?' she wondered aimlessly. She accidentally let her thoughts wander.

_"__Karen!__"__ A younger Lena called to her elder sister. __"__Look at the shell I found!__"_

_Karen looked up, smiling. The girl approached her, __"__Wow, Lena, it__'__s really pretty!__"_

_Lena grabbed Karen__'__s hand and placed the shell into it, __"__Because it matches you__'__re eyes more than mine.__"_

_Karen__'__s smile grew and she hugged her, __"__Thank you, I__'__ll turn it into a necklace and keep it with me always.__"_

_"__Karen, Lena! Get over here; it__'__s dangerous by the rocks!__"__ A man called to them._

_"__Daddy!__"__ She ran to the man, to her father, and tripped. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, and they did as she cried._

_"__Lena.__"__ Her father sighed, as he picked her up, and brushed her off. __"__I__'__ve told you not to run, you need to remember that you need to be careful, alright, my little flame?__"_

Remembering her father's nickname for her made her eyes snap open. She quickly ran a hand through her hair. "Crap," She muttered, instantly regretting letting herself think about the past. "I shouldn't have let myself remember." She couldn't get the memory out of her head now.

_"__The same goes for you my water droplet.__"__ Her father looked at her sister, who simply nodded. __"__Now then, no more crying Lena. We__'__re here to have fun. Do you think you can put on your brave face in front of your step mother and step brother?__"_

_Lena nodded; she knew that she wasn__'__t supposed to show weakness in front of her new family. She quickly wiped her tears. _

The rest of the day seemed like a blur in her memory, but she remember that night perfectly.

_Lena was beginning to fall asleep, from being exhausted by how much fun she had had. Her father had kept her awake he said there was something he wanted her to see, and then she heard it, a loud boom! She looked up but the people in front of them were standing up. __"__Daddy! I can__'__t see!__"_

_"__I can__'__t see either, father.__"__ Karen frowned, she knew what was happening but she was still too short to see it._

_He picked Lena up placing her on one shoulder, then picked up Karen too and placed her on the other. __"__Is that better?__"__ They both nodded, as they heard another BOOM!_

_The noise made Lena jump and only her father__'__s hand on her back kept her from falling. She looked up and saw the glowing flower in the sky. __"__Daddy, why__'__s there a flower in the sky? Flowers can__'__t fly.__"_

_She felt him chuckle, as he corrected her, __"__It__'__s not a flower, it__'__s called fireworks.__"_

"Lena?" Jay's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

Lena felt wet warmth on her cheeks; she had started crying, without realizing. She quickly wiped them away, not caring whether he saw them or not. "Yeah?" She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts, but failing. Memories that she had thought she sealed up, broke free.

_"__My little flame.__"_One of them called to her.

"You alright?" Jay asked uncertain.

"I just remembered something unnecessary that's all." She threw the newspaper onto the table and walked past him, heading to her room, seeking some sort of shelter.

He walked to the coffee table, and picked up the newspaper, reading the articles on the page. "Unnecessary?" It clicked in almost instantly, and a smile appeared on his face.

Later that day: Dinner.

Theresa knocked on Lena's door, and then opened it. She saw the crimson haired teen with a visibly wet washcloth covering her eyes, laying her bed, while the rest of the room seemed to be in complete chaos.

"Lena?" She asked quietly.

Lena raised the cloth from her eyes, "Yeah?" She cursed silently when her breath hitched.

"Dinner's ready, and Jay wants us all downstairs." Theresa looked at the formerly clean room, and asked "Should I ask if you're alright or will that just get you annoyed?"

Lena sat up, and swung her legs over her bed, while running a hand through her hair, the braid that was usually there had disappeared around the same time her room became a disaster zone. "I'll be fine once I get some sleep." She stood and led Theresa downstairs while making sure that her door was closed.

The other six were waiting for them at the table, and continued to wait for them to grab their food. They sat down, Theresa to Jay's right and Lena squished in between Atlanta and Odie. The first thing Lena noticed was the newspaper on the table, as the center piece.

"I was thinking…" Jay started, "that since we're getting some time off starting next week, that maybe we could go to the beach, to kick start our vacation."

"Oh great." Archie mumbled, "More water."

Atlanta smiled at him, and he blushed lightly. "Come on Arch, it'll be fun."

Archie held up his hands, "Fine, fine. I'll go."

Theresa frowned slightly, "I was going to visit my father on Wednesday."

"Then we'll go on Tuesday." Jay looked at her and smiled. Theresa tried to hide the blush on her face with a nod.

"Could you two not flirt while we're trying to eat?" Neil spoke up.

"Agreed." Odie agreed.

Herry nodded as he continued to eat. Theresa and Jay both blushed scarlet.

"Anyways," Jay was clearly flustered, "how 'bout it? They're also holding a fireworks display."

Lena was looking at Jay, unsure of how to respond to this situation. Had he noticed the article that she was reading? This was Jay, so knowing him, he probably noticed. But she couldn't kill the excitement that was building inside of her. She kept her voice disinterested, "I'm surprised you would mention something like this Jay."

"Well I've learned recently that there is more to life then defeating Cronus." The others, who still weren't in on the gamble between the two, looked at him shocked.

"I see." Lena was trying not to smile, and it seemed to be working.

Jay looked at Odie, Neil, and Herry. "Well, how about it?"

"I suppose I could use the time to work on my tan." Neil said nonchalantly.

"I'm in." Herry looked at Odie, as he got up to get seconds, "Odie?"

"I'll go." Odie said with a shrug.

And with those words the excited conversation began.


	4. Summer Vacation Part Two: Part One

(A/N: Alright Part one of Chapter Four! Yay! There is fluff in this chapter, to make up for the lack of said fluff from chapter three.)

Disclaimer: Class of the titans belongs to its legal owners.

Chapter Four: Summer Vacation Part 2: Incidents at the Beach Part 1

Lena was looking around her room, triple checking if she missed anything. She had gotten up early to make sure she hadn't. "First aid kit? Check." Her hands moved to the list she made, and clutched onto the paper as she pulled it in front of her face. "Snacks? Check. Camera? Check. MP3? Where is it?" Her eyes moved to her laptop, and there it was charging. "Check. Sketch book and pencils? Check….Why does it feel like I am missing something?" Her computer beeped telling her she had a call, probably from Annette. She went to the computer and answered.

Annette's voice came out through her earphones, "What are you still doing in your Pyjama's?" If her tank top and panties could really be called that, "Aren't you going to the beach today?"

Lena's fist smacked against her open palm, "That's what I'm missing. I'm going to put you on speaker while I change." Lena stood a book on her laptop covering the webcam, and began changing into the bathing suit she chose from her closet the previous night.

"Alright. So you're excited then?" Annette's voice held some laughter.

Lena answered while putting her bottoms on, "Of course I am. I haven't been to the beach since…" She paused, in both movement and speech, "father and Karen were alive." Her movements continued.

"Crap, right. Sorry, I didn't mean to." Annette's voice was filled with temporary regret.

"Its fine," Lena removed the book to show her black bikini, with a flame insignia on the right breast. "How do I look?"

Annette let out a low whistle, in appreciation, and Lena felt blush color her cheeks passionately. "I predict that Herry will turn a gaze your way today."

Lena felt her blush intensify as she found her pair of jean short-shorts and put them on. "He already has someone he likes! And I keep telling you that it's not like that."

"Isn't it?"

"Why are you online anyways? Go to bed already!" Lena was getting more and more flustered by the minute.

"That's actually why I called, I wanted to say have fun, and that I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Oh…um well then," She said while peaking out of one eye. "Ni-ni?"

"Ni-ni." Annette blew her a kiss and cut the call.

Lena let out a sigh, sometimes lying to Annette was harder then lying to herself. She let out a hissed breath and squished her feelings down, until she only felt the coldness that had become her essence these past couple of months. She unplugged her MP3 and turned it on, trying to remember the excited feeling from before. It didn't take long before she was dancing, excited once again. It wasn't until doing a turn did she realize that she was being watched. Blush covered her face completely, grateful that she had put on her tank top.

Herry was leaning on her doorway with fist in front of his mouth, a clear sign that he was trying not to laugh. "Excited, are we?"

Lena looked at him, glaring. "Haven't I told you guys to knock before coming in?"

"I did knock, you just didn't hear it." He held up his hands in defense.

Lena turned her head away from him, "What would you have done if I was changing?"

'Disgraced myself as a man, and then get my ass kicked by Theresa and Atlanta afterwards.' He smiled, "But you weren't, let's not think about what could have happened when it didn't. Anyways, I just came to tell you that we're just waiting for you and Neil, and from the looks of it, he's winning."

"Well if he catches his reflection in the mirror I won't have anything to worry about." She smiled, as she went to her bag making sure, for the fifth time that she had everything. But it still felt like she was missing something.

"Lena," She looked at him, "Catch." He threw a bundle at her, and she caught it.

"Ah, my towel. That's what was missing. Thanks." 'First it's your bathing suit, then it's your towel. Good job, Lena.' She mentally scolded herself, while throwing the towel in the bag.

"Got a spare set of clothes?" Theresa asked, now beside Herry.

Lena checked her bag, and there they were. "Check."

"You're good then?" Theresa asked.

Lena nodded, and headed towards them, but paused when she felt the strings on her neck loosening. She waved Theresa over, and whispered, "The strings on my neck are loosening. Do you think you could?"

Theresa moved Lena's hair out of the way, and tied the strings in a way so that they wouldn't loosen. "Better?"

"Much, thank you!" Lena hugged her, this surprised Theresa. "Opps, sorry." She quickly let go.

"It's alright, it just surprised me, you never show emotion." Theresa placed a hand on her back, leading her to the door.

Lena let herself be led, thinking about what Theresa said. She hadn't bothered to notice when they had gotten into Herry's truck, she hadn't bothered to pay attention to the outside world when they drove, she also hadn't bothered to notice when someone called her name.

It wasn't until a pair of fingers snapped in front of her unseeing eyes, did she snap out of her daze. "And she's back folks!" Atlanta's voice brought her attention to the car door.

"Sorry, what?" Lena blinked trying to remember what had happened outside of her own mind.

"Welcome back. We were starting to get worried." Jay's voice was calm, but she could hear a very slight amount of relief.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought." Lena looked at her surroundings. They were already at the beach. "Crap, sorry I shouldn't have spaced out like that." She got out of the truck and grabbed her bag from the back.

Jay spoke to her, while they were walking to the sand. "You've been spacing out a lot, you sure you're alright?"

"You worry too much, Jay." She told him. "I'd prefer that you'd worry about winning our bet rather than worrying about me. I've always been fine and will always be fine."

"If you say so. Guy's let's stop here."

Lena looked around, "Not many people here today, even though it's summer vacation."

"It is Tuesday." Odie told her. "Most people are at work."

"I suppose that's true." She stretched up towards the sun, letting the summer heat warm her to the core, her good mood returning.

They set up the blankets, and the beach umbrella, brought by Neil. They had only been in the sun for fifteen minutes, when Atlanta noticed that Lena was already beginning to burn. "Lena, are you alright? You seem to be burning."

"Well my skin is freakishly pale, so it burns really easily." Neil tossed her the sunscreen he was using. "Thanks." She began applying it.

Jay looked at the sun with a small frown on his face. "Make sure to drink plenty of water. All of you."

Archie tossed him a water bottle, "Practice what you preach, Jay."

The boys went off to change shortly after setting up. While the girls striped out their tank tops and shorts. That was when Theresa noticed Lena's stares, "What?" She asked self-consciously.

"Theresa…" Lena's voice held a tad bit of jealousy, "your boobs…have gotten bigger haven't they?"

Theresa blushed harshly, thankful that the guys weren't here, "They haven't, have they?" Lena's hands cupped her own chest, with a look of disappointment. Theresa noticed that Atlanta did the same. "Come on guys, we're still growing. There's no need to be depressed."

The frown on Lena's face increased; until she felt cold hands touch her back. "EEK!" She let out a surprised yelp, and flailed her hands helplessly.

"Quit moving," Atlanta scolded, "your back will burn if I don't put it on."

"But my back is really sensitive." She let out another yelp. Theresa held out her hands and Lena grabbed them, tightly, trying not to move.

Atlanta slapped her back, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to leave a red hand print on her skin. "There that wasn't so bad." Lena's knee's buckled when Atlanta's hand met her back, and she met the sand with a very red face. Atlanta knelt down to look at her, "You enjoyed that far too much, you know."

"I told you that my back was sensitive!" The red on her face didn't fade at all.

"Oooh?" Atlanta looked at Theresa and they both smirked, smirks that Lena instantly did not like. Atlanta ran her finger tips lightly across Lena's back.

"Atlanta," Lena's voice was breathy, as she shuddered "please stop teasing me!"

"But you make it sound like you don't want me to." Atlanta smiled.

"Did we come back at the wrong time?" Jay's face was slightly red from hearing Lena's pleading.

Atlanta stood up with speed and precision, covering the red faced Lena enough to keep the guys from seeing her like that, "It's fine, I was just putting sun screen on Lena's back."

Lena composed herself quickly, and she stood while placing a hand on Atlanta's shoulder. "And I thank her for that, and of course I should return the favor fully." Her lips held a smile, but her voice was nothing pleasant.

Atlanta turned her head, and pulled away quickly. Choosing to hide behind Archie, "I'm sorry!" She cried.

Theresa petted Lena's head, "Alright calm down, she was just having a bit of fun."

"Fine, fine. I'll drop it. For now I think I'll go take some pictures." Lena smiled; she grabbed her camera and headed out towards the bluff.

Theresa knew that Lena hadn't entirely forgiven Atlanta, her eyes made it very clear; she could still see the anger in them at least.

Lena had been taking pictures of the bluff for less than five minutes when she felt an overly familiar energy behind her, an energy that she had imprinted into her memory all those months ago, when she realized her feelings for him. "What is it, Herry?"

"I hope you know that that is really creepy." Herry stood on one of the rocks, watching her take pictures.

Lena turned slightly, not really looking at him, but also not fully ignoring him. "You didn't answer my question."

Herry looked away, mostly to hide the blush that appeared on his face. "I was just wondering if you were alright, you looked pretty angry back there."

"Don't worry I'm not mad at Atlanta in the least." She took another picture.

"Then why are you so angry?" He hopped down from the rock he was standing on and walked over to her.

"What makes you think that I'm angry?" Her posture stiffened, he had found her out!

"The tension in shoulders, the way you won't fully look at me, and you just stiffened up proving that I'm right." He knew all of her tells, and that scared her.

Lena turned to look at him, and he stopped in his approach, she was just an arm's length away now. "Fine, fine. I am angry, but not at Atlanta, I'm angry at myself. Happy now?" She turned to take another picture.

"I really wish you would stop turning away from me while we're trying to talk." His hand touched her shoulder, surprised at how soft her skin was. "It's just us, no one else. You can talk to me, you know that right?"

She turned to him, frowning. "I know. It's just that…I'm angry at myself because of simply letting it happen. The fact that I enjoyed it doesn't help any either. Atlanta is one of my best friends, and I let myself get turned on by her touch!" She let out a frustrated sigh, then muttered, "Stupid teenage hormones."

Herry blushed at her choice of words, he cursed just how blunt she was. He looked at the frustrated, and embarrassed look on her face, it made him laugh.

She looked up at him with shock apparent on her face, "What's so funny?"

"Sorry, you just-" Before he finished his sentence he remembered how she reacted to him calling her cute the last time. "Never mind. Don't worry, you're frustrations are safe with me."

She looked down, suddenly more interested in her flip-flops than in his face. "Thank you." She could feel the blood rush to her face.

His hand ruffled her hair, "You're welcome." He took the time to recollect his thoughts, and look around. "Wow, this place is pretty empty."

"That's why I chose it. I could be alone with my thoughts that way." She took this opportunity to turn around and started walking further into bluff.

"What were you going to do if some guy walked up and attacked you? We probably wouldn't be able to hear your cries from here." He asked, as he followed her further into the bluff, suddenly glad he had chosen to go after her.

Lena frowned, she hadn't even thought about it. "Probably the same thing I always do whenever some strange guy comes within a five meter radius of me."

"Break down and cry?" His voice held enough skepticism so that she didn't have to look back and see it on his face.

Lena's eyes narrowed, she didn't like where this conversation was going, so she shrugged it off. "Well if my bawling doesn't put a guy off, third degree burns probably would."

The rocks became slippery enough to throw off Lena's balance and had her tumbling backwards. Herry's arms were out the moment he saw her slip, and she was in his arms in less than three seconds. He held her princess style, which put the two of them close enough that their breath intermingled.

He looked down, and was about to ask her if she was alright but he then realized that this single movement put their lips millimeters apart from the each others. He froze unsure of what to do, his instinct told him to close the distance, however he instantly squashed that idea but it left him there frozen.

She was waiting for him to decide what to do, but he was clearly frozen. She snapped her fingers in front of his face, and he blinked and looked her in the eyes, turning his head so that their lips were no longer in danger of touching. "Herry," Her breath tickled his ear, "Either hurry up and kiss me, or put me down."

Her choice of words left him blinking, and he put her down. "Sorry. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Are you?" She looked at him; his dazed expression had her kind of worried.

He shook his head, trying to clear it while also trying to remember how speak. "I'm fine." Her words repeated in his head, '_Either hurry up and kiss me, or put me down._' He watched as she began to walk back towards the beach, "Lena!"

She turned on her heel, "What is it? We should get back to the others before Jay sends out a search party."

Herry's body had moved on its own, and when he realized what he was doing he had her pinned against a rock, his arms on either side of her. "Did you mean what you said?"

"We've spoken a lot in the past half hour; you're going to need to be more specific."

"When you said 'Either hurry up and kiss me, or put me down.' did you mean it?"

'Don't let him notice! Don't let him notice you meant every word of it!' Her mind screamed at her. She heard herself laugh and it sounded harsh, and cold even in her own ears. "I needed to say something to get you to put me down."

He was looking at her, "You didn't answer my question."

She didn't like the look in his eyes. It was a combination between seriousness and hunger, with an undertone of something that she didn't recognize. "And if I did?" Those four words set ablaze in his eyes that began to seriously worry her.

His hand lifted her chin up, causing her to look at him fully. "I'd have to do what you asked, of course." The words were innocent enough, but the way he said it sent shivers up her spine.

"This is going too far, Herry." She slapped his hand away, "You shouldn't joke about such things when you already have someone you like." The look in her eyes was cold, and harsh.

He pulled away; she had never looked at him with those eyes. She took the opportunity to head back towards the beach. He followed her in a shocked daze, completely unsure of how to respond.

Jay waved them over; they had apparently started making lunch. "What took you guys so long? We almost started eating without you."

Lena frowned, "You shouldn't eat before going into the water. It's not healthy." She sat down on her towel, and began flipping through the pictures she had taken on her camera.

Neil spotted Lena's camera in a matter of seconds, he smiled and posed.

Lena noticed Neil's movement and she took a picture of him instantly. "Hew hew, this is a keeper I think I'll post it on my wall."

"Lena you shouldn't encourage his behavior." Odie scolded her. "His head will get swollen."

"Even more than it already is? I don't think that's possible Odie." Theresa spoke.

"Hey! My head is perfectly shaped!" Neil complained.

Lena continued to take pictures of her dorm mates while Jay and Theresa served food, it kept her mind off of what had happened with Herry. Theresa and Atlanta sat down on either side of her.

"Lena, can I ask you a question?" Theresa started in a low voice, quiet enough so that the guys couldn't hear them.

"If it's about what happened before, don't worry about it I'm not mad at Atlanta, I never really was." Lena said as she took a bite of her food.

"As much as a relief that is, my question is completely different." Theresa continued as Lena took a drink of her water. "Do you like Herry?"

Lena choked, and began coughing. The guys looked up from their conversation. "You alright?" Jay asked.

"I'm fine." Lena responded through haggard breath. Her eyes met Theresa's with a glare. "What kind of question was that?" She whispered.

The other two girls sat in front of her, so that they blocked the guy's vision of her response. "You didn't answer the question." Atlanta told her.

Lena didn't look at them as her face became covered in blush, again. "Fine, I like him."

"Like, like?" Theresa's eyes widened as Lena nodded. "Why haven't you told him?"

Lena looked at the two, pain was apparent in her eyes. "Because he deserves so much better than someone like me." She closed her eyes and took a breath, then opened her them and smiled. "There's no point in dwelling on something that'll never happen, so let's just drop it."

"Alright," Theresa frowned, and looked at Atlanta with a worried look.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, and they were beginning to relax when they heard two women gossiping.

"That's totally her." One exclaimed.

"No way! She's been missing for a year and a half there's no way she could be here." The other said.

"You should go ask!" The first told her.

"I have no interest in meeting her, you go." The second pushed the first forward in encouraging way.

"Um…" The first woman shifted, "Are you possibly, um, Lena Rose?"

Lena pulled down her sunglasses, and looked at the blushing woman in front of her. She stood dusting herself off. "I am, and you are?"

"Um, I'm Lillian Dusk." That name was familiar to Lena, but she had no idea how she knew it.

She could hear the guys from where they sat behind her.

"Who's that?" Jay asked.

"Shall we place bets? Ten dollars per bet." Archie started, "A former lover."

"An old friend." Herry said.

"An old rival." Neil shrugged.

Odie smiled, he already knew the answer, "A fan."

"You guys are terrible." Jay stated, "By the way she can probably hear you."

Lillian's voice brought Lena's attention back to the woman standing in front of her. "You probably don't remember it's been almost five years since then. You and I used to compete in music competitions together, we both used to play piano. I'm a huge fan of yours!"

Lena blushed, slightly embarrassed about having a fan. "Oh! I just remembered, you'd always come in second. You're extremely talented."

Lillian's blush increased, "What about you? You were only six when you won your first competition. You were half the age of almost everyone else there. Do you still play? After that incident-"

"I'm sorry but could you please not bring that up." Lena said with a sad smile.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Lillian apologized. "Of course you wouldn't want to hear about that."

"It's alright, but to answer your question. I no longer play."

"That's a shame, but can I ask some advice then?"

"Of course."

"My playing has gotten worse no matter how much I practice."

"Let me see your hands." Lillian held out her hands, and Lena examined them. "You're over practicing; when your fingers are over worked it makes your playing sloppy." She slowly ran her fingers over Lillian's channeling a healing energy into them. "When I still played, I'd practice for two hours a day, no more no less. But you should start out with an hour, try that for a couple of weeks then increase your practice time by fifteen minutes, and then repeat the process." Lena gave her hands back.

"Alright, I'll try that. Thank you!" Lillian went back to her friend, and waved.

Lena waved back and waited for her turn and walk away. Her attention immediately went to the guys. She saw Odie putting money away in his wallet, and then she turned her attention to Archie. "Former lover? What part of me looks gay?"

"It was a joke! Gods calm down! Spaz!" Archie retorted.

"A joke that you lost money for." Odie smiled.

Lena sat down suddenly tired. "That was unexpected."

"I didn't know you play piano." Theresa said.

"I don't." Lena sighed.

"You used to, and apparently you were good at it." Atlanta said, "Why'd you quit?"

Lena's eyes narrowed behind her sunglasses, "Personal reasons. Anyways it's all in the past, there's no point in talking about it."

"That's no fun." Atlanta frowned.

Lena opened the book she had brought with her. It was a clear sign that she wasn't going to answer any more questions.

"Can I ask one more question?" Atlanta asked.

"I may possibly answer." Lena looked at Atlanta over her book.

Atlanta looked at Lena curiously, "How many competitions did you win?"

Lena sighed, "Well I started playing for contests when I was six, and I quit after the national competition when I was twelve. Provincially, I won twelve. There were two every year. Nationally, I won six. So in total I won eighteen." She shrugged it off.

They all blinked at her, stunned into silence. She admitted she had never lost a competition so bluntly! Theresa was the first one to regain her composure, "So we came here to play, so let's play."

Lena watched as they all got up except Archie, who was afraid of water. "Aren't you going with them?" Archie asked.

"When I feel like it. For now I think I will read." Lena said with a smile, she laid back down using her bag as a pillow while she read.

Lena couldn't pull her eyes away from her book; it was just starting to get good. She didn't notice when Atlanta came and took Archie away. She also didn't notice when a person came up to her, until their shadow covered her book.

"Hey babe, you here alone?" The voice was masculine.

"Do I look like I'm alone?" She looked around, noticing that Archie was nowhere to be found. "Apparently I do. Crap." She looked up at the towering figure and flinched back as she saw his eyes. They were filled with a hunger, and lust. The latter scared her terribly, she had only had seen that look once, and it was starting to bring up terrible memories.

Herry had been keeping an eye on Lena since Atlanta and Archie went off somewhere. His attention had been on ball that was being tossed around until he turned slightly, only to see a man talking to her, and to see her shrink away from him. "Crap!" He started to head towards the beach.

The man reached out for Lena, as he spoke, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you."

Those words made Lena's tears come out in sobs and she tried to pull away but he grabbed her arm. "Don't! Let go!"

A hand shot out and grabbed the man's arm. "For shame! Making an innocent girl cry." The man looked at the stranger who had intervened. "If you want something from my girlfriend, you might want to go through me first." His hand gripped the man's arm harder, forcing him to let go of Lena.

"Woah, dude chill. I didn't know she was taken." The man took his arm back and left.

"Lena?" Her savior knelt down in front of her. She could make out the black hair and ice blue eyes through her tears. His voice sent chills up and down her spine, it was a voice that she knew, and had missed in her year and a half away from home.

"It can't be. It's not possible you shouldn't be here."

His hand wiped away her tears, "I'm right here. Saving your sorry ass again." He opened his arms to her.

"Lance!" She leapt into his arms, and he held her while she cried.


	5. Summer Vacation Part Two: Part Two

(A/N: Alright...So the second half of chapter four! Yay! This took an insane amount of time to post up, mostly because I was with my cousin from the 25th to the 30th. Because I can't write if I am not sitting at my desk, and television is distracting. But scarificing my sleep to finish chapter seven was worth it, because it's finally done and so now I was finally able to edit and post this up. So after a week of waiting, I finally give you Part two of chapter four. Enjoy.)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titan's belongs to it's legal owners.

Chapter Four: Summer Vacation Part 2: Incidents at the Beach Part 2

Herry had watched as the man grabbed Lena's arm, he had watched when someone they didn't know intervened, but he couldn't get himself to watch as she leapt into his arms. His hands clenched into fists hard enough to draw blood. "What…the…hell?"

The others had heard the anger in Herry's voice. Jay grabbed his shoulder, "Calm down, buddy. Let's go see what's going on first."

Herry took a composing breath and let it out slowly. He nodded and followed behind Jay, hoping that his face didn't show how jealous he truly was.

Lena was now standing, with Lance's hands on her elbows making sure she didn't fall down. "So what are you doing here? Shouldn't be in another province trolling the ladies."

Lance waved a hand in between them, "My trolling days are over, and to be truthful I'm going to school in a nearby city, it's called New Olympus High. Perhaps you've heard of it."

Lena smiled, "Heard of it? I'm attending there. How exciting! It'll be like the old days."

Lance frowned, "Except Karen won't be there…" His words mirrored her thoughts.

Lena looked up as she heard the others return; she quickly pulled away from Lance, and smiled. "Hey guys! Welcome back, are you done frolicking already?"

Lena found herself being pulled behind Theresa, she was glaring at Lance. "He didn't do anything to you did he, Lena?"

Lena frowned at Theresa's suspicion, "Of course not! He saved me!" She moved from behind Theresa and in front of Lance. "He hasn't done anything wrong!"

Jay looked at him skeptically, "Lena, who is he?"

"This is Lance; he's someone I knew from before I ran away. An old friend, if you will." Lena shrugged.

Lance wrapped his arms around Lena's chest and waist pulling her into his chest. "More like her former lover." He said as he playfully nipped her earlobe.

Lena elbowed him in the gut, "Please don't joke about that Lance, you'll tarnish my reputation." He let go of her. "Pay him no mind," She turned around to look at Lance, "Aren't you here with someone? They're probably waiting for you, now go."

Lance smiled one of his most charming smiles, "Not until I get your new email."

Lena rolled her eyes, and rummaged through her bag, finding a pen and paper. "Here, now go."

"As you wish." Lance's turned his attention to the others who were standing, unsure about what to do. "Thank you for watching over her." He then noticed the anger on Herry's face, and smirked. "I'll see you later, Lena." He kissed her cheek and quickly took his leave.

Lena waved with a smile on her face. She then turned to her companions who just stared at her. "What?"

Theresa grabbed Lena's wrist and pulled her away from the group. "Who was that?"

"I told you, he's a friend from the past." Lena explained as she tried to remove her wrist out of Theresa's grip.

"What he said about you being 'former lovers' is it true?" Her eyes bore into the smaller girls.

"Of course it's not!" Lena couldn't get herself to look at Theresa.

"You aren't looking at me. Thus meaning you are lying to me." Theresa hand met the small of Lena's back causing her knees to buckle and she met the ground again.

"That's not fair! Using my weak spot against -" Her exclamations were cut short when Theresa ran her finger tips over her back lightly.

"Now don't lie to me Lena." Theresa's look was serious.

"Fine! Fine! Just stop!" Theresa stopped her movement but didn't remove her fingers from her back. "Fine. We were involved but we didn't technically reach lovers status." Theresa's fingers began moving again; clearly she wasn't pleased with her answer. "He was my sister's ex-boyfriend! When she died, we found ourselves together. We went to each other for comfort, he came to me because I reminded him of her and I went to him because I had no one else to depend on." Lena's breathing was ragged. Theresa stopped her movement while Lena's hands clutched helplessly at the sand below her as she recollected her breath. "We didn't reach lovers status because we never slept together, kissing is as far as we got!"

Theresa pulled back, "Was he the one who found out about your back?" Lena nodded. "And now that he's back, what do you intend to do?" Lena looked at her confusion apparent on her face, "About Herry! Why do you have to be so dense?"

"What about Herry? He already has someone he likes! Even if I feel this way about him, it doesn't mean anything if he doesn't feel the same!" Lena's took a slow breath as she tried to silence the raging emotion that had bubbled to the surface. Theresa held out a hand and Lena took it willingly, letting the other girl pull her up.

"It seems their talk is done." Jay said, still worried about that look on Herry's face.

Odie looked at Jay, "That looked more like torture then talking."

Atlanta and Archie were walking back, surprised to see everyone gathered at their beach towels. "What's up guys?" Archie asked.

"And why does Herry seem broken?" Atlanta asked as she looked at him, examining the look on his face.

Atlanta and Archie watched as Theresa and Lena approached. The worried frown on Theresa's face nearly sent Atlanta running towards them, and nearly made her start to demand to know what was going on.

Lena stood in front of Jay and bowed, "I apologize for making you worry."

"Well, at least you're safe." Jay said, while ruffling her hair.

Lena looked at Herry, the look on his face worried her. She walked over to him. "Herry?" Her voice was quiet. He didn't respond. She took his hand, and felt a thick wetness there. Her eyes widened. She quickly unfolded his fists, and wiped away the blood that had gathered there with a cloth from her bag. She traced the wounds with one finger they were exact imprints of his finger nails. She smiled as she thought of an interesting idea that might snap Herry out of his stupor.

Jay knew what that smile on her face meant. She had just thought of something to snap Herry out of his jealousy fit. He turned around, not wanting to know how she would do it.

"Jay?" Theresa asked in her quiet voice.

"For my dignity as a man." Jay said as quietly as he could.

Theresa cocked her head to the side, confused. "I don't get it." Then she saw what Lena had planned and turned around, her face bright red. "Never mind, I understand now."

Lena had brought Herry's hand to her mouth placing gentle kisses on the imprints. She then licked one, healing it with her tongue. Her eyes were watching his face go from blank and empty, to shocked and blushing.

Herry had been staring straight ahead when they had gotten to Lena. He had been staring straight ahead when she and Theresa had gone off to talk. He had been staring straight ahead when Lena had come up to him. He was not taking chances at looking at her, afraid that all of his finely built control would come undone. Then he had felt her take his hand and clean off the blood that built up there. He had expected her to heal it; he hadn't expected her to use her tongue. He looked down at her, to see her eyes watching his face, and he instantly regretted the movement. The look in her eyes was playful, as if she knew that she was driving him crazy. He pulled away fast enough to leave him on the ground. The sand buried itself into the wounds on his other hand.

She placed her hands on her hips, "And now you have successfully gotten sand in the other hand!"

"That's because you were doing those sorts of things!" He huffed.

"Well you were spacing out, and ignoring me!" She retorted.

Odie tapped Archie on the side, "They aren't even a dating and they're already fighting like a married couple." The two shared a laugh that was quickly silenced by Lena's glare.

She went to her bag and pulled out her first aid kit, and went to kneel by Herry. "Show me your hand." Her eyes were kind, all playfulness had disappeared. He complied, and she looked at him. "This may sting but I need to get the sand out before it gets infected."

The others stepped away from the two. Each of their minds screamed, 'What's with this 'lovers atmosphere'?'

Herry looked at Lena, her eyes had puffed up slightly from crying. At this proximity he could smell the perfume she had used today, it smelt sweet like strawberries. He felt her remove the cloth she was using to clean the sand out of his hand; she ran her finger across the open wound. He could feel her using her magic heal him, and he felt the cuts close. The feeling of her hands on his left him feeling warm to the core. He smiled kindly, until he remembered that she had leapt into the arms of another man, a man that had claimed to be her former lover. His movement stiffened, and his posture became rigid.

Jay whispered to Theresa, "Uh oh. He just remembered what just happened."

Theresa whispered back, "That seems to be what happened. Do you think she's noticed yet? That he's jealous."

They both sighed, and Jay spoke, "I doubt it."

Lena looked at Herry and waved her hand in front of his face. "Herry?" He was frozen again, causing her to let out an exasperated sigh. She snapped her fingers in front of him, hoping it would work like the first time.

He blinked when he heard her fingers snapping. "Sorry what?"

"I thought I was the spacey one." She frowned.

He looked at her frowning lips, and it took all of his control not to kiss them. He let out a frustrated groan, and stood pulling her up with him.

"That was a strange noise." Lena said as she brushed off the sand from her legs. Herry did the same, but his thoughts kept drifting to her and Lance. With another frustrated groan, he picked her up and placed her over his shoulder. "AH! Herry! What are you doing! Put me down!" Her legs began flailing, and she began to struggle. He ignored her and started to walk away from the group.

Atlanta called after them, "Herry! If you add a little more pressure onto her back she'll stop fighting!"

Herry's hand added a little more pressure and Lena's movements stopped all together. But she continued to glare at the ground. "So should I assume that you're not going to put me down?"

Atlanta looked at Theresa, "We are going after them, right?"

Theresa smiled, "Of course." The two girls began to follow Herry and Lena at a safe distance, after grabbing Lena's camera.

"So…" Jay began, "Who's going with them to keep them out of trouble?"

Archie shrugged, "I'd go, but they seem to be headed into the water, and water and I don't get along."

Neil chose to lie down on his towel and declared, "I'm tanning."

Jay looked at Odie who simply nodded, both of them worried about their friends. They quickly followed Theresa and Atlanta.

Herry had brought them to a spot under the bluff, a place where they were almost completely alone, except for the four that had followed them secretly. The water went up to his knees, which meant when he put Lena down it went up to her mid thigh. She shuddered and glared at him. He crossed his arms, while trying to regain his composure. "Lena."

"What? Why do you need to look so angry today?" She scowled.

"It's because you're like this!" His hands made a gesturing motion to her in general.

"You just gestured to all of me!" Her mouth was open in shock.

"That's the problem! Whether you realize it or not, you are cute. But you're extremely dense, and you don't realize that guys only have one thing on their minds when they're at the beach. Cute girls in bikinis, and picking up said cute girls, like you." He huffed out a sigh. "But then you go off leaping into a strange man's arms! What if he hadn't been someone you knew?"

"Then you would have come and rescued me like you intended to do in the first place!" She stared at him defiantly.

He blushed, "But what if I'm not there next time? What if I don't notice that you're in trouble? What if you get hurt because I wasn't there?" He slumped over his fists landing on the bluff behind them. All anger left his voice. "Lena, I want you to stay with me." Blush covered her face. "At least for the rest of today because if anything happened to you, I don't think I could live with myself."

The look on his face almost broke her heart. She smiled and stood on her tiptoes as her arms wrapped around his neck. "You're going to regret saying that." She whispered, as she hugged him.

He held her in his arms, making sure that when she let go that she wouldn't fall back. For now he would enjoy the feeling of her being in his arms. He felt her stiffen under his grasp. "What's wrong?"

She let out a sigh, and pulled away from him. "It seems that we were followed." 'A perfectly good moment ruined.' She shook her head at the thought. She called aloud, "Jay, Theresa, Atlanta and Odie! You can come out now."

The others came out with their hands up, guilt covered their faces. Theresa held Lena's camera in her hand; careful not to drop it into the water. Lena crossed her arms and scowled at the four that had followed them, "Well what do you have to say for yourselves?"

"It was their idea," Odie pointed to the two girls.

"We were just following them so they didn't get themselves in trouble." Jay joined in.

"Like you two weren't curious!" Atlanta glared at them.

Theresa sighed, "This isn't the time to be fighting! We're sorry; we were just worried about you two."

Lena smiled, "Don't worry, everything's fine now." She noticed her camera in Theresa's hand. "Theresa…why do you have my camera?"

"I was hoping for a Kodak moment." She blushed.

Lena's eyes widened and blush colored her face. "Theresa you didn't? Did you?"

Theresa began backing away, "Possibly. Should I start running now?"

"That would probably be for the best." Lena smiled, playfully, as Theresa turned around and began to run back to shore. Lena picked up the chase shortly after, but tripped on her own sandal and fell into the water.

"Lena!" The five gasped. Herry approached where she fell.

Her head popped up with her bangs plastered to her face. "That was unpleasant." She pulled her sandals off, and got up.

"You alright?" Herry asked.

"Yeah. I'm not so delicate that I'll injure myself when I fall down." She smiled at him.

They had spent the rest of the day playing in the water until the sun began to set and a chill entered the air.

Lena stifled a shiver as they walked back to shore. "Why must Canada insist on having four seasons a day?"

"Warmer here than where I'm from." Atlanta shrugged.

"That's because you're from the Northwest Territories, that's almost to the Arctic! That's one of the coldest spots on the planet." Lena stifled another shiver. "But it does have polar bears." She got a dreamy smile on her face.

"Lena. You're spacing out again." Theresa scolded.

She shook her head, "Sorry, but polar bears just seem so squishy and cuddly."

"And they'll try to kill you when you least expect it." Odie reminded her.

She paused, unsure of how to respond. "But they're still so squishy and cuddly. I'd probably die happy if I was able to hug one."

"You are a strange woman." Odie said with a shrug.

"Oh come on! Like you all don't have a thing or two you want to do before you die."

Jay nodded, "I can think of a couple things I want to do before I die."

"Like winning our bet?" Lena looked at him, with a knowing smile. "I don't think that'll be happening any time soon."

"Summer's not even half over, Lena. Time is still on my side." Jay said with a smirk.

"Bet? What bet?" Theresa asked as they arrived at the towels and the girls grabbed their bags, and headed to the changing rooms.

"You'll see. Let's just say Jay needed a push in the right direction." Lena slipped into a stall, before Theresa or Atlanta could ask any more questions. She changed quickly, but realized that the other two took longer. She sighed, and looked in the mirror to brush out her hair. It had become wavy due to being in a braid since the night before. "Theresa, Atlanta. I'm going ahead." She told them deciding not to waste too much time staring into the mirror.

The two acknowledged this and Lena left, deciding to watch the sunset from the bluff. She walked while noticing the ache on her back where her shirt touched. "Sunburn? Well that's to be expected, considering I only let Atlanta apply sunscreen on my back once." She continued to mutter to herself as she continued her walk.

Theresa and Atlanta headed back to the group at the same time. "Where's Lena?" Theresa asked.

"We thought she was with you." Jay began to look worried.

"She headed back before we did." Theresa frowned. "She's always so troublesome."

"I think I know where she went." Herry stood.

Theresa handed him Lena's camera. "I forgot to give it back to her."

Herry headed to the spot on the bluff where they started their day, and there she was sitting on one of the rocks. Her hair glimmering in the vibrant red sunset, she had her sketch book in her hand, drawing what was in front of her. He was instantly grateful to Theresa for handing him the camera; he quickly took a picture after fumbling around with the camera.

Lena turned at the sound of the shutter snapping shut. "Herry? When did you get here?"

"You didn't stay by my side like I asked, and you should really stop spacing out at that, you're just asking to be jumped." He said half jokingly.

"Please don't joke about that. Anyways, I thought I called one of you. Never mind, I probably forgot. I just thought the sunset was so pretty that I'd get a decent view of it over the lake." She smiled, and waved him over.

He sat down beside her, as he handed her camera back to her. Her head met his shoulder and his arm snuck around to rest on hers. There they were, sitting in that position again, and she had no idea how he felt.

The others had followed Herry, how could they not? This was the couple that they felt like they had to watch over, so that in the end they finally got together. But both of them were so unaware about the other's feeling that nothing serious had happened.

Neil muttered quietly, "I really wish they'd hurry up and get together already all of this sneaking around is bad for my skin."

The others shushed him, "She'll hear you!" Atlanta whispered.

"We should really stop spying on them, though." Odie reminded her, "She'll get angry again."

"I shouldn't have given him the camera." Theresa muttered.

"Our little girl's all grown up." Jay said while wiping a fake tear from his eye.

"If we don't be quiet they'll hear us." Archie reminded them, and noise from the group stopped.

Lena sighed; she knew the group was there the moment she heard Atlanta speak. "They followed you, again." She whispered, so she didn't alert the others that she was on to them.

He smiled playfully down at her, "Should we give them something to watch?"

"Oh? What do you have in mind?" She looked up at him tilting her head up enough so that her lips nearly touched his jaw bone.

"Stay like that." He spoke loud enough for the others to hear him. He took her face in his hands. "Lena, I've been meaning to tell you something, but I don't think I can say it properly."

"What is it, Herry? You know you can tell me anything." She leaned her cheek into his hand, nuzzling it with her nose.

Theresa and Atlanta found themselves leaning forward; unaware of that they were falling right into Lena's trap. "You can do it Herry! Kiss her!" They both chanted quietly.

Herry continued, "Because I don't think I can say it well, let me show you. Close your eyes." She complied, and his lowered his face to meet hers. When their lips were millimeters apart they heard a crash.

Lena pulled away laughing, mostly to cover up the sound of her heart pounding in her own ears. "I can't believe you guys actually fell for it." She turned to face Theresa and Atlanta who had fallen over. "Everyone else can come out too." They all came out from behind their hiding spot.

Jay whispered to Odie, "You know even if we had Neil, somehow I knew she would find us."

Odie nodded. "Agreed."

"You might as well sit down and watch the sun set, because this spot is perfect for watching the fireworks, too." Lena said with a smile.

"What makes you think that?" Archie asked, as he sat down on a rock with Atlanta.

"It's isolated so we don't have to worry about people being in front of us, and they have to set up the fireworks on that island over there." She pointed, drawing their eyes to the tiny island just up ahead.

"She's right you know, this is the best spot to watch the fireworks. And it's not easy to access if you've got kids with you, so I highly doubt anyone else will be following us up here." Odie said, while choosing a rock for himself.

The sun set and it wasn't long before it was dark. Jay decided it was time for him to win the bet. "Theresa," He whispered into her ear, making sure the others couldn't hear them. "Can we talk, privately?"

"Sure." He took her hand and led her away from the group; he kept her hand in his. "What's up?" Her hand lightly squeezed his.

"I-" He swallowed. "I like you, I should have told you earlier, but I was afraid Cronus would have used it against us. But I don't think I can keep lying to myself. Theresa, I like you, as more than just a friend, and if I'm not too late, do you think you would do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?" He could feel the blush cover his entire face, from his neck to his hairline.

She was stunned speechless, she had definitely not expected this. She felt the blush color her face, and joy overwhelmed her senses. She kissed him; it was the only way for her to respond. The kiss surprised him, but he quickly relaxed into it and was kissing her back in moments. And then they saw the camera flash behind closed eyelids. Jay pulled away quickly, and turned. His face was completely red.

"Smile, you're on candid camera." Lena said with a huge grin on her face. She took a couple more pictures.

"Lena." Jay's voice was almost deadly. "Give me the camera."

"I don't want to. Plus it's something to remember this trip by." She turned as the fireworks were launched into the air. She began to take pictures of them.

They all watched the fireworks, the picture of Jay and Theresa all but forgotten. The fireworks only lasted for about fifteen minutes, and they all headed back to the truck. Lena stifled a huge yawn; she was beginning to feel the fatigue from the day's activities. Of course because of this she wasn't paying attention where she was going, and tripped once again. Her hands instinctively went out in front of her, but an arm wrapped around her waist before she even got relatively close to the ground.

"You alright?" Herry asked. "You should really be more careful about where you decide to space out."

"I'm not spacing out this time." She paused. "I'm just a terrible klutz when it comes down to it."

"Here," He offered her his hand; he used the darkness to cover his blush. She took it gladly, using the darkness to cover up her blush as well. They made it to the truck without further incident, and packed everything inside in the matter of moments. It was clear that everyone wanted to get home, just as much as Lena did. She sat in the back with Neil, Archie and Atlanta while Jay, Theresa and Odie, hopped into the front, Herry of course drove.

Lena watched as the others eventually passed out, Theresa rested comfortably in Jay's arms, while Atlanta used Archie's shoulder as a pillow. Neil slept quietly for once, and Odie had passed out the moment he got into the car. "Everyone's passed out." She whispered.

"Well it is getting pretty late." Herry responded looking at her through the rear-view mirror.

"Are you alright? You're looking pretty tired, yourself."

"I'm fine, just prattle on about something."

"Um, okay…?" She began prattling on about random thoughts, that had either been on her mind for a couple of months, or that just randomly popped into her head. The rest of the drive back to the Brownstone was relatively peaceful, and that was the end of their trip to the beach.


	6. Summer Vacation Part Three: Trust

(A/N: Okay chapter five, the final part to the summer vacation trilogy. This chapter involves alot of OOCness, anger, and a little bit of fluff. I also have no idea why this chapter is so angry it just is, probably because I watched Applet of Discord the day I was writing this. I have good news this is the last chapter that is over five thousand words, probably...hopefully. PS: To those whose reviews I didn't respond to, it's not that I didn't want to it's just that I can't think of anything good to say. So let me say it here: thank you for your support, and please continue to review.)  
(And now let's welcome back crappy titles to this fanfic.)

Class of the Titans belongs to it's legal owners.

Chapter 5: Summer Vacation Part 3: Trust

Lena sat on her bed sorting through pictures that she had taken at the beach. Theresa had left early Wednesday morning, while Herry decided that he'd use this time to go help out his grandmother. Archie and Atlanta spent almost all of their time together goofing off. Neil had booked photo shoots for most of the time that they had off while Odie spent most of his time in the school working on some secret project for Hermes, and their faithful leader spent all of his time sailing. She let out a tiny sigh, hoping that this break the Gods had given them would end soon. Sure she enjoyed time to herself, what girl didn't? But that was the problem; she had too much spare time!

Her laptop, which had been sitting there quietly, beeped. She looked up surprised by the noise it made; the person who just messaged her was not Annette. No one else had her email, besides her father's lawyer. She then remembered a certain man who had demanded her email at the beach. Lance! How could she have forgotten about him? Now that she looked at it, the email did seem familiar, she read the IM.

"**You free?**" it said.

"**Freer than free.**" She frowned.

"**Good, let's go out. I hear there is this new place down by the park. The food is supposed to be pretty good.**"

She quickly typed, "**You had me at ****'****let's go out****'****. Give me fifteen minutes to get ready, and I****'****ll meet you at the park.**"

Lena quickly got ready and ran down the stairs while making sure not to trip. She noticed Jay in the main room, reading the newspaper. "How strange for you to be home usually you're off sailing." she told him.

He looked at her, surprised by her appearance. "How rare for you to be going out."

"Yeah, I'm going to meet a friend." She left out Lance's name because she knew how Jay and the others felt about him.

His eyes instantly narrowed, "That guy from the beach?"

She cringed back, "Yes."

He stood and walked over to her. "I'm not going to tell you not to go, because I'm not your father. But I am going to tell you to be careful. Do you have your PMR? Just in case something happens."

"I do have my PMR, and don't worry I'll be careful. If I'm not back by supper, eat without me alright?" She smiled her best smile, but he just frowned.

"I'm serious be careful, and call if anything happens."

"I'm serious too. I will be careful, and I will call if anything happens." She quickly headed out the door before he could say anything else.

"You can't protect her forever." Odie said from the kitchen door.

"Am I wrong for not trusting her judgment? What if he turns out to be working for Cronus? What if he tries to hurt her?" Jay turned to his friend.

Odie sighed, "Trust her, she's not that scared girl she was when we first met."

"I do trust her; it's him I don't trust!"

"You're acting like a jealous father. Wait if you're the father, does that mean that Theresa's the mother?" Odie smirked. Jay blushed as thoughts of Lena left his mind, and he began thinking about how Theresa would look holding their child. "And he's gone…" Odie muttered as he headed back into the basement.

It was late; Lena had spent the last several hours talking to Lance about nothing. They had lost track of time and before she knew it the sun was setting. Because it was still summer the sun setting meant that it was past ten, which meant she was going to miss curfew which meant that if Jay found out he'd scold her until her ears fell off and if Jay didn't find out it meant Athena did and that would not have been pleasant.

She snuck through the back door hoping not to be caught by either. The light was off; or at least it was until she walked in and closed the door. She blinked at the harsh light and looked up. Jay stood there with his arms crossed. She backed away; glad her hand was still on the doorknob. "Hi, Jay. How was your day?"

"You're late." He warned her.

"I lost track of time, and before I knew it the sun was setting." She shrunk back leaning against the door.

"You should have called; I was beginning to get worried." A vague look of horror crossed his face, only to be quickly replaced with a disappointed frown. "Do you have any idea what Theresa would have done to me if anything had happened to you?"

"Why do you always have to get so angry at me? I was out about half an hour after curfew, that's three hours earlier then Archie and Atlanta usually come home, and they're younger than me!"

"But they're together!" His frown deepened.

"And it's not like I was alone! I was with someone too!"

"Someone that we know nothing about!"

"No! Someone that you guys know nothing about, because you haven't given him a chance!"

He was taken aback; surprised by her words. It was true that none of them had thought of giving Lance a chance, but that was because he just appeared out of the blue, just some guy from her past. But Cronus could have been using him to get to Lena, and that was not something he intended to let happen. "And if he's working for Cronus? Then what?" His voice had gone back to normal.

"Then I admit I was wrong, and then we kick his ass until he tells us where Cronus is hiding." She shrugged. "Jay, allow me to explain something. I am not afraid of Lance, and he's not brave enough to hurt me, or even brave enough to think of hurting me. If anything does go wrong then I'll take care of it, and if I can't I'll call for back up, but I need you to start trusting my judgment." She let out a petite sigh, "Now if there's anything else?"

"I won our bet." He shrugged then smirked.

She cringed, "First you lecture me and then you bring up our bet?"

"You're the one who proposed it." He sat down and motioned her to do the same.

"Touché." She sat down. "You wanted to know about my father's death, right?"

"I'd rather hear about your entire past, you know just in case you've got anymore skeletons in your closet."

"Don't be greedy, our deal was that'd I'd tell you about what happened to my father."

"Fine, fine, just thought I'd try."

"Where to start?" She leaned back and thought 'Keeping yourself from crying would be the first step.' "Well, do you remember when Atlanta asked why I quit playing piano? It's because my father and my sister died trying to get to the last music competition I ever attended. I didn't see the signs, but now that I think about it my father probably planned it all out, although he probably didn't count on the fact that Karen would have needed an emergency pick up."

"Planned it all out?" he asked.

"My father had visions. Not like Theresa, these ones were for long distance sight. He told me once that almost every night when he was a boy he had dreams about a woman, his soul mate, my birth mother. But that's not the topic we're trying to discus." Her eyes narrowed. "That day I headed to the concert hall early by bus, I had called my father to remind him not to be late. He had seemed kind of anxious, but I didn't pay attention to it. He told me that Karen had called asking for a ride. He had said he'd be there right after that, and I believed every word of it. I was naïve, and the concert hall was packed so it wasn't any surprise that I couldn't find them in the crowd. It wasn't until after the competition was over that I had found out that they got into a car crash. The reporters who wanted an interview asked how I was able to play so well while my sister and father were in the hospital."

She laced her fingers together and summoned that coldness inside of her, it left her feeling detached and empty. "I headed to the hospital almost immediately, the doctors wouldn't tell me anything because I was under eighteen." She smiled coldly and her laugh was harsh. "My step mother blamed me for the condition that they were in, and I agreed with her, although the only reason she blamed me was because this meant I got all of my father's inheritance. My sister was on life support, although she didn't make it through the night. My father was covered in burns, and was bandaged from head to toe, he lasted a day and a half." She looked down at the counter, and took a quick breath. "That all happened when I was twelve." She stood, and headed to the kitchen door. "Too bad it didn't answer your question about my scars." The words were whispered, but she knew Jay had heard every word of it; she used this chance to head to her room.

Jay was left speechless; he didn't know how to respond to Lena's story. He hadn't expected something like that, of course he also hadn't expected her to actually tell him either.

Odie looked at a frozen Jay, "So what did she you tell about?"

Jay jumped, and looked at the shorter boy, "Odie, when did you get here?"

"Just now, I'm just assuming from the arguing I heard that it was you and Lena, and that bet you two made was something to do with her past. So what did she tell you?"

"About her father and sister's death."

"Ah, the car crash. I read the article. It apparently made the news, 'the father and sister of a musical prodigy killed in car crashed'."

"Odie, tell me everything you know." Jay looked at him more seriously, not willing to back down this time.

"Alright, but it's not pretty, and do not let Lena know where you found out this information." Odie sat down as Jay nodded.

* * *

Theresa arrived back at the Brownstone three weeks later surprised to be greeted by Lena going out the front door. "Oh! Hi Theresa! Kay, bye guys!" She called into the building, and waved to Theresa before heading down the street.

Jay greeted her at the doorway. "Welcome back, I was beginning to worry that Persephone would cause a local drought from loneliness."

"Does that mean you didn't miss me?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I did." He kissed her on the cheek.

"So, Lena's going out?" Her confusion was apparent on her face.

He frowned, and nodded. "With that guy from the beach."

"What happened while I was gone?"

"You should probably unpack first; I'll explain everything at dinner."

Atlanta and Archie came up behind Jay, "Hey guys." Theresa said pleasantly.

"Hey Theresa! Welcome back!" Atlanta smiled. "We're going to a movie do you two want to come?"

Jay smirked, "We won't be interrupting your date will we?"

Archie blushed, "Of course not, you're welcome to come along."

Theresa smiled, "Sounds good, just let me put my bags away and I'll drive while you guys fill me in on what's going on with Lena."

Jay grabbed her suitcase, "Let me help you with that."

They sat in Theresa's car while Jay explained what had happened. "She's been going out in the afternoons for about two weeks now. She sometimes doesn't get home until one or two in the morning. I thought this would change when we restarted training, but she always rushes out and meets him."

"And you've just been letting this happen? Jay what if something happens to her?" Theresa glanced at him.

Archie mumbled, "I hate when mom and dad fight in the car." This caused Atlanta to break out in a muffled laugh.

Jay threw his hands up in exasperation, "What did you want me to do? Banish her from seeing him? She gets angry enough when I remind her to be careful. Then Odie scolds me for acting like an overprotective father." He pouted.

Atlanta spoke, "You know, today she said something about going to the mall after training."

Theresa turned the corner to the mall without signaling, earning her many honks and annoyed shouts, some of which came from Archie. "What happened to going to the movies?" He asked from the back.

"We'll catch a later showing! For now I intend to follow Lena and make sure she comes home with us." Theresa glared at him through the rear-view mirror.

"We're just going to get caught, again." He complained.

Atlanta smiled, always up for a challenge, and following Lena was always a challenge. "Come on Arch, it sounds like fun."

"Are you sure about this, Theresa?" Jay asked suddenly worried.

Theresa pulled into the mall parking lot with a frown on her face. "Not really. But we're going to do it anyways."

Archie sighed, "Great…"

It didn't take them long to locate Lena, and Lance. They were sitting in the mall cafeteria having a late lunch. Theresa was muttering to herself, "Don't go on random dates with some other guy when you like Herry!"

"Wait, she likes Herry? When were you going to tell us this?" Jay asked.

"Well I was hoping they'd get together naturally, but it seems they need a push in the right direction, that and he…" She pointed to the man who was sitting with Lena, "needs to disappear."

"Maybe Herry will get jealous, again, and finally make a move on her?" He said optimistically.

Archie and Atlanta had decided to eat something while Theresa and Jay spied on Lena. "Somehow," Archie sighed, "This feels wrong. Lena's almost an adult, and she can take care of herself better than most people."

"That is until she begins crying because of some guy got too close to her." Atlanta reminded him.

"Their on the move, let's go." Theresa began following their two targets.

Lena sighed; she should have known that Theresa would have followed her to the mall. "Let's go, Lance. I don't think I can eat when there are people spying on us." She was able to feel Theresa's energy easier than the other three following her because she was physic. Sure it was useful when they got separated in battle, but it got annoying when she was trying to relax.

"Why not just call them out, you know like you did back at home?" Lance stood and took her hand; the two began to walk away from the cafeteria.

"Because the game has just begun," A mischievous smile appeared on her face. She placed her mouth near his ear, playfully nipping it. "I'm going to have to ask you to act for me, Lance."

He shuddered from the feel of her breath on his ear, "As long as you ask like that I'll do it."

Theresa's mouth dropped open at the sight of Lena nibbling on Lance's ear. "This needs to stop."

"Arch?" Atlanta asked quietly.

"Yeah."

"I think now is where we should turn around and go see that movie."

"Agreed." They began to turn around but both Jay and Theresa grabbed them.

"Come on you two." Jay said. They followed their targets all over the mall. Jay and Archie politely waited outside of a lingerie store Lena had led them into. When the chase picked up again, it led them to the parking lot.

Lena spoke loud enough the four of them to hear. "Alright, games over. Theresa, Jay, Archie and Atlanta come out." She turned around to see the four coming out of their hiding spots. "Lance, I'll meet you at your car, just give me a few minutes." He nodded and headed out of hearing range.

"Lena…" Atlanta started but stopped when she noticed that 'Dark Lena' had come out.

"Don't 'Lena' me. I have done everything you people have asked of me. If I attend practice and I'm there when you need to fight Cronus, it shouldn't matter who I hang out with in between. You people left me alone while you preoccupied yourselves with your own interests, and now you're surprised when I find someone outside of our little hero group to spend time with? Don't fuck with me! What I do in my spare time is none of your business! So just stay out of my personal life!" She turned and left them standing there.

"I told you so." Archie said as he headed to where Theresa parked her sports car.

* * *

Herry arrived back at the Brownstone a week later, and was surprised by gloomy atmosphere that gathered throughout the dorm. "Guy's I'm back." He called out only to hear yelling.

"Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?" Lena's voice echoed throughout the building, but he could tell it was coming from the kitchen and began following the yelling.

"I wouldn't go in there, Herry." Odie told him from the couch in the main room, he had the subsonic filters in, the bright orange ear plugs stuck out like a sore thumb in his ears.

"I hate this!" Neil screamed out in frustration as he walked down the stairs. "I can hear them arguing from my room!"

"What's going on?" Herry asked.

Odie rolled his eyes and took out his ear plugs. "Theresa came back a week ago, and according to both Jay, Archie and Atlanta. When Theresa heard that Lena had been hanging out with that guy from the beach, she started following her. Lena apparently knew that they were following her and she snapped to the point of 'Dark Lena' coming out. So now Lena, Jay and Theresa have been arguing whenever they're together. Sometimes it's all of them arguing with each other but mostly its Jay and Theresa yelling at Lena. Athena hasn't bothered trying to stop it either."

"I cannot believe you two are still trying to control my life! Who do you think you are? My parents? Don't get so arrogant!" The sound of Lena's voice got closer. Odie sighed and put his ear plugs back in.

"Lena! Would you just sit down and listen to us?" Jay's voice wasn't far behind hers.

"Why should I? All you do is just betray what trust I have in you!" Herry could see her figure walk out of the kitchen. The sound of the fire extinguisher was quiet compared to the sound of them yelling.

"Looks like she lit something on fire again." Neil said with a shrug.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Herry turned to face Neil.

"We're doing what we think is best for you!" Theresa and Jay's figures could be seen exiting the kitchen now. Herry turned towards the arguing trio again.

"Oh what a load of bullshit! That's it I can't deal with this anymore I'm-" Lena paused in both her yelling and movement, "Herry? When did you get home?" A sudden warmth filled her fully, from her toes to her hairline.

"Just now. Did you miss-" His sentence was cut off by her hugging him, blush colored his face. "I'll take that as a yes." His hand stroked her hair, and he noticed that it felt as if it had been lit on fire. He looked at Jay, who was holding the fire extinguisher he had heard earlier, and then at Theresa who was looking exhausted. "What's with the fire extinguisher?"

"Lena," Jay waved his hand to the girl in Herry's arms, "keeps lighting things on fire."

Lena turned around to face Jay, "I keep telling you that it's an accident! If you're going to trust me at all then trust me about that! It's not like I want to…" Tears filled her eyes, and they threatened to start pouring out any minute now. "…destroy our home."

Herry's hand met Lena's back with enough pressure to have her weak kneed and make her loose all will to fight. He picked her up gently, and held her princess style. "I'm taking her to talk, alright?"

"I don't have time to talk," Lena told him, as she struggled out of his arms. "I need to go meet Lance." She managed to break free, and left out through the front door.

"That's what I'm talking about! It's always Lance this and Lance that!" Theresa threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Then why not just stop fighting? Should we call Harmony for an anger management session?" Odie asked, while pulling out his ear plugs. "I'm not sure if you've guys noticed, but this arguing is tearing us apart. Archie and Atlanta are never home, all of this arguing is causing you two not to sleep. We need to be a team, or Cronus will use it against us. Our leader, not the jealous father that you are currently acting like, would know that."

Jay let out a sigh, and took Theresa's hand. "He's right. Maybe an anger management session would help us cool our heads enough to hear her out, and let her give us a chance to explain ourselves." He looked at Herry. "And it may possibly help him get over his jealousy."

Odie looked at the three standing in the hallway, "So whose going to tell her?" Jay and Theresa looked at him, a clear sign that he was going to have to do it. With a sigh he said "Fine, I'll do it, but that means you two have to call Archie and Atlanta, because if you three go then all of us have to go."

"Alright, sounds easy enough." Jay said.

"What? Why do I have to go?" Neil asked.

"Because all of us are having issues with our fighting." Jay told him.

That was how the eight of them ended up sitting in the library the next day. Harmony slithered around the table, while Lena shifted nervously from her spot in between Herry and Odie. Archie let out a sigh and Atlanta elbowed him in the side. Jay and Theresa sat there looking at Lena. Neil was looking at himself in his mirror.

"Fighting never solves anything, so let's all give peace a chance. Let's start with Jay and Theresa." Harmony said, her presence alone caused the room to relax and her voice made them all calm.

"Lena," Jay started. "We're worried about you. You're coming home later and later each night, and we're worried that you might not come home one day."

"I'm sorry for spying on you at the mall; it's just that I was worried. I don't want to see anything happen to you." Theresa told her.

Lena nodded, "I understand that you're worried, and I don't want to fight, but it feels like you guys don't trust me. I was angry and I said things I shouldn't have. But when you both get protective of me, it feels like I'm suffocating." She took a shaky breath, "I'm grateful that you care about me, and I'm sorry for snapping at you all like that, and for lighting things on fire."

"Now who's next?" Harmony asked.

Odie spoke, "I'll go next, Theresa, Jay and Lena. Allow me to ask that you please stop fighting; it's tearing all of us apart. We need to stick together in order to beat Cronus, even if we disagree with each other sometimes."

They all spoke about what was bothering them, except Herry who had no idea how to explain that he was jealous without revealing his feelings. Harmony spoke, "Now, don't you all feel better? Look at how good it feels to give harmony a chance."

"Can I just say one more thing?" Lena asked her voice quiet. "I love the family we built, and I love the house we live in, and I don't want to fight anymore, but I need you guys to trust me, please."

Theresa and Jay looked at each other and nodded. "Of course we trust you." Jay told her. "And we'll try to be more understanding from now on."

"Thank you." She smiled.

* * *

Herry couldn't sleep; it had been a week since their session with Harmony and things had seemed to have settled down. Jay, Theresa and Lena were no longer arguing, but Lena was continuing her pursuit in hanging out with Lance, and that made Herry nervous. He looked at the teddy bear he used for sleeping with, and it took all of his effort not to smother it with his pillow. He sat up while running a hand through his hair. "I don't think Athena will mind if I just get some milk."

He sat in the kitchen twisting a glass of milk in hands. The clock on the microwave glowed 1:30. The summer night was quiet, just the sound of crickets filled the air. He stared out the window. That was when he saw a figure run past it. He tensed and stood, preparing himself in case he needed to attack. He heard the lock in the backdoor unlock, and nearly pounced when the door opened, until he heard her voice.

"Sorry I'm super late." Lena said with a lowered head, she only looked up when there wasn't a response.

Herry looked at her, completely unsure what to say. She was wearing a mid thigh length red dress, and black fishnet stockings. She was wearing makeup as well, something she never did. "What's with that outfit?"

"Why are you up?" She completely avoided his question.

"I couldn't sleep, now are you going to answer my question or not?" He looked at her skeptically.

"It was all age's night at a local club so Lance offered to take me. I wouldn't have been able to dance full heartedly in my regular clothes." She shrugged and grabbed herself a cup filling it with orange juice.

"You've been spending an awful lot of time with him." He pointed out.

"What's your point?" She was leaning on the counter.

He was going to use this chance to find out the truth about how she felt about Lance, once and for all. "I was wondering if you liked him."

She blinked, "Are you serious? Me and Lance?" She covered her mouth to keep the laughter from spilling out.

"What's so funny? I was being serious!"

"Sorry, it's just…I've already watched that boat set sail. Plus I already have someone I like." She blushed as she said it.

"Hmm? Oh you do? What's he like?" Herry plastered a fake smile on his face.

She blushed harder, "Um…well." She paused, suddenly flustered more so than usual, but then she smiled, kindly. "He's really strong, but he's really kind." She laced her fingers together in front of her face. "He's rarely gets angry, and when he does he's really scary. He's laid back and easy going. He's also has a really innocent outlook on life." Her smile quickly turned sad,

"But it'd never work out between us."

He looked at her, surprised her sudden sorrow. "What? Why?"

She turned her back to him, "Because he already has someone he likes, and I don't deserve someone as amazing as he is. I don't want to taint him."

He walked up behind her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, surprised to see a saddened look on his face. "Then aren't I good enough?" His lips descended onto hers.

She froze as his lips met hers; she had no idea how to respond. She wanted to respond somehow, but the shock of it all was too much. Her head was spinning; her heart was threatening to shatter her ribcage. He pulled away before she could think, let alone respond.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that." They heard footsteps coming up from the basement stairs; he moved away from her and sat down in front of his glass of milk.

Odie stood at the kitchen door, not surprised to Lena standing there, but he was surprised to see Herry sitting there with a blush tinted face.

"I'm-I'm going to bed. Night guys!" Lena's face had finally decided to turn bright red, as she rushed up the stairs.

Herry ran his hand through his hair repetitively. Odie came up behind him and placed a hand on his back, "What's wrong?"

"I kissed her!" His head hit the table, hard. "Odie, I did something I promised myself I wouldn't do!"

"She didn't light you on fire? Freeze you?" Herry shook his head. "Than it could have been worse."

* * *

It had been two days since that morning. Lena hadn't been able to look at Herry, let alone speak to him. "Be careful out there, it looks like it's going to rain." Jay's voice made her jump. "You alright? You've been spacing out all more than usual, did something happen?"

"It's nothing, I'm sorry for worrying you. I should probably get going." She headed out the door.

The time ticked by slowly as Herry lay on his bed, throwing a medicine ball into the air. It had only been a couple of hours since Lena had left; she hadn't been able to look at him since he kissed her. The medicine ball he had thrown into the air landed onto his stomach, a quick reminder that he needed to remember to pay attention.

He placed the medicine ball into the floor, as his PMR went off. "Herry here." Lena's face appeared on the screen, panic and fear covered it. "Lena? What's wrong?"

"I messed up; I should have listened to Jay and Theresa. Oh gods, I don't know what to do." Her voice hitched, a clear sign that she had been crying. "Can you come pick me up, please?"

"Where are you?" She told him the location. He nodded, "I'll be right there. Just hang on." He rushed out his door, going down the stairs two at a time.

"Herry, where are you going?" Jay asked, worried by the look on his face.

"I'll be back in a bit." He grabbed his raincoat and headed to his truck. The rain poured down as he drove, it showed no sign of letting up. He pulled into the parking lot of the local coffee shop, and instantly spotted Lena seeking shelter under the rim of the building.

She was soaked through to the bone, and she was terrified of every dark haired person who drove by. She didn't see Herry's truck pull up; all she saw was a figure dressed in a green rain coat approach her. She backed away, her fight or flight instinct was already kicking in. She tried to run, but the figure grabbed her arm, and pulled her into him. "Lena, it's me!" His voice made her stop fighting and clutch onto his raincoat.

Herry had seen her, and he had known she had seen him. What he didn't understand is why she tried to run away. As he got closer he could see just how truly terrified she was. She was shaking, either because of what happened or because she was soaked through. He began unzipping his raincoat. "Here, you're freezing; this'll be the quickest way to warm you up."

"But you'll get all wet!" She protested, he just pulled her inside the coat and did it up the best he could without getting it caught in her hair.

"That doesn't matter, what matters is that you don't freeze to death. Now, what happened?"

"I should have listened to Jay and Theresa, I shouldn't have trusted Lance. I should have learned from the first time! But I didn't! I was stupid and foolish! I shouldn't have trusted him. Oh gods, I shouldn't have trusted him!" Panic bubbled into her voice. "I didn't know who I could call. If I called Jay or Theresa, they would have told me 'I told you so'." Her hands clutched his shirt tightly. "Jay warned me that it would probably start raining, but I was spacing out. So I went out, I had just met up with Lance when it started pouring, we were soaked in seconds. He said that we should dry off at his place and wait the rain out there. We were watching TV when he pushed me down, I laughed it off, but then he kissed me. I hit him and ran but…Oh gods why do I have to be so stupid?" She began sobbing. He simply held her as she cried.

They stayed like that for a while, waiting out the storm. As her sobs became quieter, he whispered. "The girl that I like is you, she has always been you. I should have told you earlier but I just couldn't find the right time to."

She looked up at him, "Sorry…" She trailed off as she tried to collect her breath so it didn't come out as another sob. He could feel his heart nearly shatter as she paused. She decided that she needed to continue. "I'm sorry, that I didn't notice your feelings earlier. If I had I don't think that any of this would have happened. Herry, I've liked you for a long time; I just didn't realize it until after I found out you already liked someone, so I didn't say anything."

He blushed, "We should probably get back, and I didn't really explain things to Jay before I left."

"Yeah, I have to apologize to Jay and Theresa for not trusting their judgment." She admitted.

He unzipped the raincoat that they were wearing and put it around her shoulders. "So…Where does this leave us? Are we dating now?" He began to lead her back to the truck.

"Do you want to?" She looked up at him.

"Well, I was sort of hoping that was the plan. Do you want to?"

"I do."

"Well then, Lena…will you become my girlfriend?"

"Gladly."

The two returned to the Brownstone with smiles on their faces, although Lena's red eyes gave away that something had happened. She quickly apologized to Jay and Theresa, telling them that they were right and that she should have listened to them about Lance before. Things were beginning to look up, at least they were until she and Herry both woke up with fevers, sore throats and stuffy noses. Jay and Theresa both told them that that's what they get for standing in the rain. Their colds lasted until school started up again.


	7. First kisses as a couple

(A/N: Chapter six...is short. =D This is a very fluffy chapter, to make up for the anger in chapter five. I feel like leaving this summery short for some reason. So enjoy chapter six.)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans and song lyrics belong to their legal owners.

Chapter 6: First Kisses as a Couple are Always Exciting!

School had started again, and they were seniors now. The morning autumn air was crisp and the leaves had begun to fall. Lena puffed out little breaths on their way to the truck. "Enjoying yourself?" Odie asked.

"That I am. Mostly because fall is such a wonderful season!" She twirled. "The leaves turn into such pretty colors, apples become in season and the variety in vegetables becomes wider. And then there's all hollows eve! The candy, dressing up, and the veil between worlds becomes insanely thin meaning I can call upon the dead to lend me their powers! Speaking of witches I should go visit my father's grave site on Halloween this year, I didn't do that last year! What a terrible daughter I am!" She began prattling on.

"Last Halloween we got a visit from the Goddess of Witchcraft herself." Theresa told her. "It wasn't pleasant."

"Did you offer her cake?" She asked as they hopped into the truck.

"Not really," Jay told her, "At least we didn't until Athena suggested I take it with me after she kidnapped Theresa."

"I can't believe we jumped into that movie screen." Atlanta smiled.

"I can't believe Neil was able to use Hecate's torches." Theresa admitted.

Neil looked at them, "The one time I get a powerful weapon, they get taken away in the course of five minutes."

"Don't feel too bad Neil," Lena told him, "Not even I would have been able to keep her torches away from her long, although I am slightly jealous that you guys got to meet her."

"Don't be," Jay told her, "She was working with Cronus. She probably would have killed you if she got the chance."

Herry shuddered slightly from the driver's seat, "She summoned zombies too, it was terrible."

"Zombies…hmmm…sounds like an interesting idea." Lena muttered to herself.

Archie sighed, "She's got that look on her face again."

"Don't tell me she's plotting something again?" Odie asked, as Herry parked into the school parking lot.

She looked shock, "I cannot believe that you guys would think something like that! Why must you think I'm always plotting something?"

"Because you usually are." They all told her, as they got out of the truck.

"I am not! Oh hey! Freshmen!" She pointed out some of the new students walking up to the school. "Don't they just look so innocent at that age? Better yet I'm surprised that so many of them are showing up to orientation today. This makes me want to skip my morning classes and crash it."

"Lena," Jay stared at her, "You are a terrible example for future generations."

"Yeah I know. But don't worry, I won't skip class. I can't afford getting expelled again." She sighed as she headed to her first class.

"Sometimes she worries me." He muttered. "Anyways, let's get to class then meet up at lunch, the usual spot." They all agreed and headed off to their individual classes.

Advanced English: Before Lunch: Time remaining: fifteen minutes.

Lena and Odie sat next to each other; Lena was doodling while Odie was taking notes. "Shouldn't you be paying attention?" He asked.

"I can't concentrate on an empty stomach." She said as she continued doodling.

"That's what you get for sleeping in until the last minute. You're getting as bad as Herry." He told her.

"But I wasn't sleeping in. I accidentally fell back asleep after taking a shower." She shrugged. "I made it to school on time, didn't I?"

He laughed quietly, "Only after Atlanta dragged you out of bed."

"Ah…Good times." She sighed, as the bell rung. She stood quickly and stuffed her books into her bag. "Lend me today's notes tonight? Kay?" She headed out the door.

"That was strange…even for her…" He muttered as he began to grab his stuff.

Lena had run to her locker to grab the real reason she had passed out this morning. She had gotten up early to make lunch. Not just her lunch, but she made one for Herry too. Athena had offered to supervise when she heard noises coming from the kitchen, in case Lena lit the kitchen on fire. She didn't but it was just precaution.

"Isn't that a bit too much food for just you?" Herry's voice made her jump.

She turned, and smiled. "What makes you think it's just for me?"

He returned the smile, "Then who else is it for?"

"Well…" She looked down at her shoes, and squirmed. "I was hoping that…um…maybe you and I could eat it together."

His face turned bright red. "Alright."

"Can we go somewhere where we can be alone? Because if the others find out I made lunch for you they'll never let me live it down." Her face was scarlet as she looked up at him.

"The weather's warmed up outside want to go eat out there? But Jay asked for all of us to meet at the usual spot today."

"Let's just get the others to tell us what we missed." She grabbed her coat and their lunch.

"He might get mad."

"Just tell him I kidnapped you." She smiled playfully.

The usual spot at lunch

Jay looked around the table, noticing that only Herry and Lena were missing. "Have you guys seen Herry or Lena?"

"She rushed off as soon as the bell rang." Odie told them.

"They probably went off together somewhere to be alone." Theresa told him.

"And you know, not blatantly flirt in front of us like a certain two I could mention." Neil spoke.

Jay and Theresa blushed scarlet. "We do not!" They both exclaimed in unison.

"That was pretty impressive…" Archie muttered.

"They were in perfect sync." Atlanta laughed. The couple blushed harder.

Outside: Behind the school.

Lena laid on her back waiting for Herry to finish the lunch she had made. She was looking at the leaves on the maple tree in front of them. The bright oranges and red, reminded her of fire. She blinked, and for a second after she thought the tree was truly on fire, she rubbed her eyes just to make sure that it wasn't. She sighed; her eyes must have been playing tricks on her.

Herry looked at her as he put down the now empty box which had held their lunch. Her eyes looked orange, which caused him to blink, and when he opened his eyes, hers were back to being that ocean green that he'd come to love. 'I'm imagining things.' He thought. "The lunch was delicious, thank you."

"You're welcome." She just couldn't get her mind off the image of the tree burning. 'It's not on fire; your mind is just playing tricks on you.' She repeated the thought to herself.

"I'm surprised that you know how to cook." He admitted, bringing her attention back to him.

"Herry, I lived on my own for nine months. Of course I know how to cook." She placed her arms behind her head. "Plus, I needed to learn how to cook or most nights, while I was at home, I would have starved."

He lay beside her, "Why?"

"Well…mostly it's because my step family was always working, or out. My stepmother and stepfather both had to work and my step brother would always go out with his friends. So I was left to fend for myself." She frowned. "I guess I am sort of glad that I was able to teach myself, or else running away would have been impossible."

He looked her, "Well it was delicious, that much I'll admit."

"Mostly because Athena was giving me pointers." She closed her eyes and blushed, pleased that he liked her cooking.

She sensed his body move closer to hers, and her heart beating in her ears covered up all other noises. His hand brushed her cheek gently, and she shuddered at the touch. His fingers traced the contours of her face, and then his thumb lightly traced her lips. She sensed as he leaned over her, her heart pounded even harder in her chest. Her eyes clenched tightly, so that she didn't open them and ruin the moment. She could sense his approach, but then nothing, he was just hovering there. Either for suspense or some other reason, she didn't know.

When the pause went on for longer than ten seconds, she opened one of her eyes, then the other, he was just hovering there, not even bothering to blink. She waved a hand in front of his face, and got no response. She rolled away to try to figure what happened from a larger perspective. That's when she saw the ice crystals on his clothing. "Oh crap…" She pulled out the PMR, and called Jay. "Hi Jay."

"What's up, Lena?" He asked.

"Who's all with you? Better yet, please tell me that Odie and Theresa are there."

"They are, why?"

"You might want to come to the back of the school building."

It took fifteen minutes for others to arrive. Jay, Odie, Neil and Theresa stood there looking at Herry. "What happened?" Jay asked.

"I apparently froze him, unless you can think of something else in this general vicinity that could do something like this." Lena sat next to Herry making sure that else nothing happened to him.

"Have you tried unfreezing him?" Odie asked.

"See that's where the problem lies. I have no idea how to undo freezing magic, because I had no idea that I could use it! Besides the typical defensive and healing spells: I can use fire magic, and I can manipulate water on rare occasions, but I have never frozen someone before."

"Maybe your powers growing." Theresa wondered aloud.

"You could try to melt the ice." Jay suggested.

"And I could also cook him from the inside out if I lose control for even a second. Maybe I could if I knew I would be able to control my power but I'm not certain I can." Lena frowned.

"Maybe with a bit of luck." Jay gestured to Neil.

Neil nodded enthusiastically and kneeled next to Lena, careful not to dirty his pants. He placed his hand on her shoulder hoping he could channel some luck, and just a bit of self-confidence.

Lena looked at Herry's frozen form, 'It's alright you can control it.' She told herself.

_"__Who are you kidding? You and I both know you can__'__t control your power, monster.__"_ The voice of her stepfather rung through her head, _"__It wouldn__'__t be the first time you__'__ve hurt someone with it.__"_

She let out a gasp, and looked at Jay, "I'm sorry, I can't do it." Neil stood up and helped her up. "Thanks."

"I'll call Persephone." Theresa told them. "She might be able to help."

"I'll call Hermes; we're going to need to get him to the Gods somehow." Odie told them.

"Then I'll call Archie and Atlanta. We're going to need help moving him." Jay shrugged.

"Tell them to bring rope." Neil added.

Lena placed her head against the school building, trying to clear it. It wasn't working. Jay patted her on the shoulder, after he finished calling the missing two heroes. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"It's okay, we'll figure this out. Maybe Hephaestus has something, and if he doesn't then we'll use every last hairdryer Aphrodite has. So don't worry." As comforting as his words were, they just didn't work.

"We got here as fast as we could, and we brought rope." Atlanta called to them as they approached the group. "What's wrong?" She looked at Herry and then at Lena. "Oh…"

"Let's get him tied and ready for transport. Odie is Hermes ready with that portal?"

"Ready." Odie nodded.

Jay and Archie both picked up Herry while Theresa and Atlanta slid the ropes under him tossing them to Lena and Neil on the other side. They repeated the process until Jay and Archie put Herry down. "I hope this is the Olympian rope." Jay muttered as he triple checked the knots.

"Well we did loot it out of the back of Herry's truck." Archie told him. "So here's hoping."

They all grabbed some of the rope and lifted, "Is it just me, or has he gotten heavier?" Atlanta asked.

"It's all the cake." Lena told them. "It's the only reason I can think of."

The portal opened in front of them and they all quickly ended up inside the Gods domain. Where Hercules was waiting for them, he glanced at Lena and scowled, causing her to shrink back. Hercules took Herry and brought him to Chiron's study, where Persephone and Hera were waiting anxiously.

"What happened?" Hera asked. "Was it Cronus?"

"It was an accident." Lena told them, with her head down.

Hera looked at her in shock, "Lena you did this?"

She nodded as she repeated, "It was an accident."

Persephone looked at Herry, "If you did do this, then your magic will have to undo it, and you will have to do it quickly."

Lena felt panic bubble to the surface. "I can't do it! Doesn't Hephaestus have some sort of heater that'll melt the ice?"

"If it was regular ice maybe, but this is ice you made magically." Persephone told her.

_"__Looks like you__'__re magic will kill another person.__"_Her stepfather's voice laughed at her.

"Lena," Hera's voice brought her attention back to the real world, and not to the voices inside of her own head. "If you did this, then you need to believe you can undo it."

"I know but anything happens it'll be entirely my fault!"

Jay's hand met her shoulder, "Then don't let anything happen. If anyone can do this it's you."

"Plus we're right here." Theresa patted her other shoulder.

"Don't worry, you're not alone." Atlanta told her.

"If you won't do it for yourself; do it for Herry." Archie told her.

Odie smiled, "If you do it, I'll lend you my English notes for an entire week."

"There's nothing to worry about, you've got me on your side." Neil gave her a thumbs up.

"Are we having a powers of love and friendship moment? Well it seems to be working so let's just go with it." Lena shrugged, and sat in front of Herry once again.

"Now, concentrate, Lena. Let nothing else distract you." Persephone told her.

Lena closed her eyes to clear mind. She pushed back all thoughts, and let her third eye see for her. She saw Herry's figure, but then she saw the layer of ice around him. She locked onto that ice and willed it to shatter.

Theresa was watching Lena closely, but because she was watching Lena she almost missed the shimmer above the girl. She watched as the shimmer leapt into Lena's body as she opened up her eyes. Theresa took a step back, and only Jay's hand kept her from leaving the room completely.

Lena let out a quick breath as she opened her eyes, she saw the layer of ice clearly now. Her eyes narrowed as she summoned every ounce of will she had. She whispered aloud, "Shatter." and then cracking noises were heard. Quietly at first then louder as the ice began to break off of Herry, freeing him from his frozen prison.

Herry sat up, and groaned. "That was interesting, but definitely not something I'd want to try again anytime soon."

Jay smiled, "Welcome back. How are you feeling?"

He shrugged, "Good considering. Hey guys." He waved to the others.

Lena had her head down unable to look up at him. He frowned as he noticed her position, and then placed a hand on her head. She looked up, "Herry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"Lena," He smiled. "I know. You would never use your powers to hurt anyone intentionally."

She cringed internally, but smiled on the outside, "I'm glad you're alright, and I really am sorry."

He picked her up and held her in his arms. "I know, don't worry I'm not angry. I should have at least warned you that I was about to kiss you." He whispered.

"I don't deserve you. You know that?" She asked her voice just as quiet.

"Get a room!" Neil cried.

Persephone sighed, "Lena I would like to see you in my solarium."

Lena pulled away from him quickly and turned around. "As you wish." She followed Persephone out Chiron's study.

The others began to leave the room as well, except for Jay who caught Theresa by her shoulder. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"That may have been just what that was." Theresa mumbled.

Lena had been sitting in Persephone's solarium for hours, as the goddess did tests. She had watched as Theresa had done her telekinesis lesson with Gary the bottle imp, and didn't stop laughing when Theresa had gotten him to put on a dress and made him dance. Lena and Persephone continued their tests into the late evening.

Now she was stretching as she walked to the gateway between the Gods' domain and the school. She heard Ares and Artemis arguing about who was a better shot. She smiled as she heard Hercules snoring from his office. She saw Hermes flying away from his communications room.

"It's a little late for you to be here isn't it Lena?" Hermes asked.

She shrugged, "It's a little late for any mortal to be here isn't it?"

"That's true. Do you want me to open a portal to the dorm?" He asked.

"That a terrible misuse of portal summoning power." She smiled. "Don't worry I've got someone waiting would be for me.

"Alright, be careful." He warned her. "See you tomorrow, then."

"See you tomorrow, Hermes." She said as she continued her stroll to the mortal world. That was when she spotted Herry. "Hey, Herry. You weren't worried about me were you?"

"How could I not be worried? If I left you alone, you might trip and fall down some stairs." He pushed away from the wall, and walked beside her.

"You have a point." She admitted with a sigh, as she laced her fingers with his.

The rest of the walk to the truck and the rest of the drive back to the Brownstone were quiet. Lena was thinking about why she had frozen him, and as she looked at him she thought that he might have been thinking the same thing. So why had she? It wasn't their first kiss; that had happened in the kitchen that one morning. So what was different? They were dating, that was one thing that was different, but dating was just a title that let other people know that they were taken. She hadn't expected him to kiss her that one time, but she had wanted him to do it, Hades, she dreamt about it often enough. So what was wrong? She had no idea; her mind was pulling a blank as Herry pulled the truck into garage at the dorm.

They hopped out of the truck, and as they walked to the building, she grabbed one of his hands with both of hers. "Um…Herry." She took a quick breath, "I didn't freeze you because I didn't want to. I didn't! I do want to kiss you, really. It's just that my heart was beating really quickly, and when I get excited things usually happened. Well…mostly people get it on fire when it happens."

He turned with a huge smile on his face. "You're rambling, again."

Someone's window was open, and they could hear the lyrics to the song that was currently playing. "_Now__'__s your moment, floating in a blue lagoon, boy you better do it soon, no time will be better. She don__'__t say a word and she won__'__t say a word until you kiss the girl._"

"Could this moment get any cheesier?" She asked as his lips descended onto hers once again, only this time she didn't hesitate. She kissed him back, and all innocence was lost the moment she did. They pulled away when she got dizzy from the lack of air. "Okay…" She huffed. "You could have warned me that time."

"Why? I thought it was fun." He offered her a hand.

She took it, and smiled. "Because I might have remembered to breathe."

"My, my. What a passionate kiss." Theresa voice came from the open window.

"That it was." Jay agreed. The two looked up to see both Jay and Theresa leaning out of Theresa's open window.

"What are you two doing? More importantly Jay what are you doing in a ladies room?" Lena demanded.

"Well we were studying until we heard Herry's truck pull up. Then we thought we'd take our revenge by interrupting your first kiss." Jay told them.

Lena stuck out her tongue. "Ha! That wasn't our first kiss!"

Neil opened his window, "Will you four be quiet? Some of us need six hours of sleep!"

"Go back to sleep, Neil!" They all told him.

Theresa stretched, "Let's all get some sleep."

"Jay if you're not in your own room before I get up there I'll kick your ass!" Lena told him as she led Herry inside.

Theresa looked at Jay with a smile, "You'd better go before she finds out you've been sleeping here for the past week."

"Probably." He kissed her good night. "Sleep well, love."

"You too." She smiled as she heard Lena's footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Get to your own room!" Lena told Jay.

Archie and Atlanta's head's popped out of their rooms to see what was going on, both started laughing. "Yeah Jay, sleep in your own room for once." Archie told him.

"What does he mean for once?" Lena asked.

Jay blushed and quickly headed to his own room. "It's nothing; don't think about it too much." He said as he closed his door behind him.

She sighed, as Archie and Atlanta headed back into their rooms. "So I guess we say goodnight here."

"I guess so." Herry shrugged, and kissed her on the cheek. "Goodnight."

She quickly pecked him on the lips, "Goodnight, Herry." She turned and headed into her room.


	8. Field Training Incidents: Part one

(A/N: Yup that's right, I am posting two chapters up in one day (depending on your time zone) So I have absolutly no idea how this chapter became so insanely long (Originally was about six thousand words DX) so I split it into two parts. This chapter including part two took an insane amount of time to write, although I have no idea why (besides being at my cousins that week) So Chapter Seven Part one! Enjoy.)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans belongs to its legal owners.

Chapter 7: Field Training Incidents: Part one

Hermes had sent them into the Rocky Mountains where a monster had appeared recently. Apparently an entire news crew had gone missing while trying to get the scoop. Ares had then called this mission a field training exercise, while Lena muttered something about how stupid this was. She then earned a scolding look from Jay, Theresa, Archie and Ares.

"I'm telling you that this is probably just a bear. Even if it is some sort of monster, those reporters have been missing for twenty four hours, so they're most likely dead already." Lena told them as they walked through the mountains.

"You're clearly in a good mood today." Archie muttered as they climbed up another steep slope.

"I'm just looking through the cynic's looking glass today that's all." She explained, as she looked around taking another picture.

Jay waved towards the vast of mountains, "How can you be in such foul mood on such an amazing day? We've got perfect weather, a nice view, and there isn't a car in sight."

"This place just brings up unnecessary memories. And shouldn't we be worried about not seeing any cars? These roads lead straight to Banff and Jasper; those are major tourist spots this time of year." They all looked at her then. "What?"

"How do you know that?" Archie asked.

"I was raised in this province." She dug her foot into the ground. "I have travelled these roads on vacation before, like almost every child under the age of sixteen has done."

Odie brought their attention away from her, "The reporters disappeared just up ahead."

They approached the top of the hill and instantly saw news vans. "At least we know where they went missing." Lena sighed.

"Now all we've got to do is find out where they went, and we can go home." Jay told them.

"Wait! I can see the front page of the newspaper now. 'Teenagers save missing reporters. Just good Samaritans or Young Heroes in disguise?' And then when we get back to the school. There will be hoards of news reporters asking about how we did it, and then they'll bring up how we defeated the monster, and then they'll ask what the monster actually was. Then I would wish you all a pleasant goodbye as my step parents came and took me away…and then Cronus kills my sorry ass for being separated, then he'll take over the world, because you know, he's a prick like that." She threw her hands up in exasperation.

"And who said I'm letting you go anywhere?" Herry asked.

She looked at him, "You really intend to take on my stepfather and brother? Just like that?"

"Why not?" He asked, as he slammed his fist into his other hand, a clear sign that he was thinking of fighting them off single handed.

Theresa walked ahead of the group with Jay, scanning the area. "Why do they want you back so badly anyways?" She half expected for Lena not to answer.

"Because I know things that would ruin them forever." Her eyes narrowed, and her voice was cold. "Let's just hurry up and find these news reporters, or what remains of them anyways."

"She's right, the more time we waste the less chance we'll have to be able to find them." Jay told them. "Let's split up, Odie and Neil stay here and try to find out what happened. Herry and Lena check the western part of the forest, Archie and Atlanta check the eastern, Theresa and I will check the northern part. Keep your PMRs close, and keep an eye out for anything that may lead to where they went."

Lena and Herry began their search inside the forest. Lena scanned the trees for any sort of markers left by the reporters. "If they went this way there isn't any sign of them." She looked up and noticed that what remained of the top of the trees was charcoal black. "Herry lift me up."

"What? Why?" He looked at her confused.

"You're taller than I am, and you still haven't noticed?" She placed a hand on her hip and pointed up. "I intend to try to figure out what did that. How good is your aim recently?"

"And how do you intend to get down?" He asked.

"I can climb down, and if I fall you'll catch me." He knelt, and cupped his hands. He threw her, and she ended up teetering on one of the top remaining branches. "What the hell?" The view in front of her was one of pure destruction; a charcoal waste land was just up ahead.

"What do you see?" Herry called from the ground.

Lena had her PMR out before Herry had called out to her. "Odie, we need a conference call."

"What is it Lena?" Jay's voice sounded worried.

"Whatever did this," She pointed the PMR towards the view in front of her, "Wasn't a bear."

"What happened there?" Theresa asked.

"Well everything seems to have been burnt down, and whatever did it could fly. The upper parts of the trees here are pretty much charcoal. So allow me to be the one who says that Cronus has his hands in this somehow, however we haven't seen sign of the reporters." Lena explained.

"Wait for us before proceeding." Jay told her. "Archie, Atlanta. Meet up with Odie and Neil. Theresa and I will meet up with Herry and Lena."

"Alright." Archie told him, as he hung up.

Odie spoke, "Lena can you send me more pictures?"

"I'll try. But I'd get better pictures with my camera." She told him.

"Do it. I'll send Atlanta to pick up the memory card, while you guys are surveying the area." He hung up.

"We'll be there soon." Jay told her as he hung up.

"And now to get down." She sighed, as she began to lower herself down the tree.

Herry watched as she climbed down, waiting for her to fall. She made it down without falling, much to his surprise. "Normally, you'd fall half way down."

"Hey! I was proud of myself for making it down that." She pouted.

"Be proud later," Jay's voice caused her to jump, as Jay and Theresa appeared, coming through some trees. "We need to find the missing reporters."

"All work and no play makes Jay a very dull leader." She told him as she brought the group to the area she had seen.

"There are innocent people at stake here." He scolded her.

"There are always innocent people at stake! There will always be innocent people at stake! Natural disasters happen all the time leaving thousands dead almost every week!" She told him while throwing her hands up in the air.

"Yes! But we have a chance to save these ones!" He stared her down.

"Wow the damage is worse than we thought." Theresa interrupted their argument.

Lena surveyed the damage, and began taking pictures for Odie. "Whatever did this is larger than most things we've faced."

"So it breathes fire, and is large. The Typhoeus, although we've taken that out already." Jay stated.

"And apparently it sheds scales." Theresa said while picking one up.

"And it comes from an egg." Herry said, bringing their attention to the remains of giant black egg hidden in the shadow.

They didn't hear Atlanta as she approached. "Hey guys." They jumped and had their weapons drawn within seconds as they turned. "Jumpy?"

"Atlanta!" Theresa cried.

"You'd think that with you're sixth sense you'd have sensed me coming, anyways I'm here to pick up the Lena's memory card, at Odie's request." She shrugged.

"Wait fifteen seconds while I take pictures of this egg." Lena told her.

"Egg?" Atlanta asked.

Jay shrugged as he continued to survey the area, still looking for any signs of the reporters. "It's a flying, scale shedding, fire breathing monster that comes from an egg."

Lena paused, "Why does that sound familiar?"

"You probably read it in one of your books." Atlanta told her.

"Probably…Here." Lena handed her the memory card. "Be careful on your way back."

"Reduced to a messenger." Atlanta shook her head and returned back to Odie and the others.

"We should all probably head back; I don't want to be here when whatever came out of that egg comes back." Theresa said.

"Agreed." Lena said with a shudder; slightly more worried about what made the egg rather than what came out of it.

They headed back to the reporters camp, and the look on Odie's face didn't please them. "What'd you find?" Jay asked.

"Well, Neil found a video camera and the footage is pretty messed up." Odie told them.

"Messed up, how?" Herry asked as they approached the van everyone had gathered at.

Odie frowned, "Well…" He played the video.

A man's voice was heard, "So here we are…hunting an alleged monster in the Rocky Mountains. Day one Saturday September 25th: at two p.m. we arrived. There has been little sign of the monster on our journey here. We parked near where the first sighting of the monster was at, which also happens to be the sight of a recent forest fire, are the two related? Let's find out." They watched as the camera began moving, when a whooshing sound was heard. The camera lurched upwards and a vague black shape was caught on screen. "What was that?" A female scream was heard then. "Who-Who are you? You shouldn't be here!"

Cronus' face appeared on the screen. "Hi kids, assuming that you are the first to find this tape, I bid you welcome. I recently obtained a new pet, and I thought I would use these reporters to keep it fed over the next few days, if they last that long." They watched as he laughed, and shut off the video camera.

"Odie, go back to the man talking at the beginning." Lena told him.

"What? Why?" He turned to her.

She frowned, "Because the voice sounds familiar." She sat down on the chair next to Odie and grabbed the headphones.

"Someone you know?" Jay asked.

She glared at the headphones, "Someone I used to think I knew." She placed the headphones over her ears.

They watched as the frown on Lena's face increased, and then it turned into one of anger. She placed the headphones down hard, and stood. "Great, now not only do we have to save a bunch of news reporters, we now have to save that traitorous bastard along with them."

"You're not a fan of his then?" Atlanta asked.

Lena turned and smiled pleasantly, "Now, what would make you ask that?"

Jay sighed, "Okay, Lena, control your anger. We still need to find these reporters, no matter who they may be."

"Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll have been eaten. Gods I'd love to see the look on my brother's face when he found out, not that he deserves any less. So who wants to go tree hopping with me, to find out where the burn trail leads?" She continued to smile pleasantly as she approached the trees that she knew were burnt.

They were left blinking after her, "Sadistic Lena is kind of harsh." Theresa told them, and then she called to Lena, "I'll come with you."

"Wait! Guys! That'll make you an easy target for Cronus!" Jay called and chased after them.

The group followed after their leader, and heard Lena speak. "Then let me go by myself, just make sure that you guys keep up. I'm the least susceptible to any magic used, and my magic will protect me when I fall."

"That's too dangerous!" Jay scolded her.

She crossed her arms, "What happened to trust? Plus I won't be much use to you down here while I'm raging."

The palm of his hand met his forehead, "Ugh. Fine. I can't believe I'm agreeing to let you do this."

"Just remember to keep up; I'll be trying to keep my balance insanely hard so I won't notice how fast I am going." She took off her sweater, and got Herry to toss her up onto one of the trees. She stood on top of one of the less charcoaled trees, and reached her hand out with her palm up, a pendant rested in it. "Spirits of air take form and become my eyes. Become my guide and help me find the missing reporters." Three orbs appeared in her hand, and then flew off in separate directions. "And now to find the thing that did this." She began to jump from tree to tree, following the trail of burn.

They had been following the trail for fifteen minutes, when they hit a cliff. Lena climbed down from the tree, and spoke. "The trail stops here so either it flew down or it just stopped."

"Well…what now?" Archie asked, and they all looked at Jay.

Jay crossed his arms, and began thinking. "Well, either we go down, or we go across and look for some sign of where it went. Or this could be just some trap Cronus laid for us."

"I'm voting for option number three." Lena told them.

"Agreed," Odie nodded.

Cronus' voice was heard then, "That's a shame; I was hoping you would fall right into my trap."

"Cronus! Show yourself!" Jay called.

"Gladly." The space in front of them shimmered and Cronus on top of a dragon appeared.

"A dragon?" Lena tilted her head slightly to the side. "It makes sense now! That's one of the last true dragons left! And it's working for Cronus, crap." The dragon opened its mouth, and with a breath; flame came out of it. Lena had erected a barrier to protect the eight of them from it, but even then she knew that the barrier wouldn't hold out long, not while she continued to search for the missing reporters.

Her father's voice rang through her mind, "_The original fire children were dragons, our fire magic comes them._"

She whispered in realization, "My fire magic comes from them." She spoke loud enough for the others to hear her, "Get down!" She made sure that they did, and then dropped the barrier, putting her in the midst of the flame.

Herry watched with wide eyes as Lena dropped the barrier and the flames engulfed her. "Lena!"

"Yes! I did it! One of you is dead!" Cronus began laughing, while the dragon stopped spewing fire.

"Oh, really? Now who would that be? I still count eight of us still alive." Lena told him, while the smoke cleared. She stood there, checking out her cuticles. She looked up at him, "Miss me?"

"How did you? That's impossible!" He began stuttering.

She smirked, "Oh Cronus, you'd think you would learn by now, nothing is impossible for this group of heroes. So then tell me what did you do with her mother?" She gestured over to the dragon.

"How did you know? What are you?"

"A dragon's fire tells a lot of stories. As for what I am…that'll remain a secret. Now tell me where her mother is!"

"She wouldn't cooperate so she's dead." He told her blandly.

Lena's eyes went wide with rage, "Taking a child from her mother is one thing, but killing her is going too far Cronus."

Cronus began laughing again, "Well I'll leave you kids to get acquainted with my new pet." He left through one of his portals.

Jay spoke, "Archie, Atlanta; go for the wings. Herry try to find some way to keep it from starting another fire. Odie find a way to deal with it. Theresa try to use your ability to figure out it's weak spot."

Lena turned and nearly ran into Jay's chest. "No Jay! You can't kill her! You can't!"

"She already killed people, Lena." He looked down at her.

She could feel the tears well in her eyes, "Because Cronus made her! She's just a child! She doesn't know any better! We could ask Chiron about what to do! Just don't kill her!" Her voice went from desperation, to pleading. "She's scared, and just wants her mother, but she's dead! And now she's all alone! Please don't kill her!"

"Neil. Make sure she doesn't get in our way."

Neil took Lena off to the side, "Come on."

"Neil you have to stop him! Please!" She cried.

"When Jay has a plan, there's no arguing with him. You know that."

"But this is going too far!" She watched as the others went after the dragon.

Herry had the dragon's mouth clamped shut through sheer will and now he was using the Olympian rope to tie it shut. "Got it." He said as tied the final knot. That was when the dragon began to struggle and ended up tossing him off, leaving him to fall down the cliff.

"Herry!" Lena struggled free from Neil's grip and jumped off the cliff after Herry.

"Lena!" Neil cried.


	9. Field Training Incidents: Part Two

(A/N: Chapter seven part two! Yay! That's one more chapter complete. So enjoy the rest of chapter seven! PS: Please continue to review =D)

Disclaimer (I really need to stop forgetting this): Class of the Titans belongs to its legal owners.

Chapter 7: Field Training Incidents: Part Two

They were falling; he was falling faster than she was. 'At this rate, he'll hit the ground before I can even get close to him.' Her thoughts were beginning to become panic filled. "No! No matter what, don't lose faith! Don't give up!" She willed herself to fall faster, the only thing on her mind was catching Herry, and she became completely unaware of the burning feeling inside of her.

Faster and faster, she began to get closer to him. "Herry!" She called to him. Her hand reached for his, but he was still out of her reach. "Herry! Please open your eyes!" The burning feeling was threatening to burst out of her, and she could feel her shirt begin to heat up.

Herry's eyes opened, and he reached out towards her. She grabbed his hand, and that burning feeling inside her exploded. He watched as her eyes turned orange, and the warmth of her hand was nearly to the point of burning his own, but the most interesting thing that happened was when wings made of flame exploded out of her back.

She laughed as his hands wrapped around her waist, "You need to lay off the cakes."

"You have wings, and your eyes are orange." He told her.

She shrugged, "It happens, the eyes do, anyways. The wings are just some strange occurrence." 'Just something to make me even more of a monster.' She thought. She lowered him onto one of the trees, and stayed floating there for a bit. That was a mistake; the wings which kept her floating disappeared instantly. His hand in hers kept her from falling completely.

He laughed, "What good does you saving us do if you just fall off the tree?"

Her hand gripped his harder, "Herry…I feel dizzy." Spots covered her vision, and her world went black.

His eye's widened, and he had to triple check that she was still breathing as he climbed down the tree to get them to safety.

Herry's voice made Lena stir. "Don't worry Jay we're fine, I think. Lena's sleeping right now. Yes I checked if she was breathing, and her pulse is steady. She's probably just sleeping it off. Yeah I'll call when she wakes up."

She hit him, "Shut up…I'm trying to sleep."

He laughed, "It seems she's fine, maybe not willing to get up yet, but fine."

There was a ringing in her head. "Tell Jay that one of my scouts found the reporters." She opened her eyes, which had reverted back to normal, and blinked. "One of my scouts…" She sat up quickly. "Oh gods! One of my scouts found the missing reporters!" Her world spun for a few moments. "Ow…that was unpleasant."

"Alright we'll wait for you here." He hung up his PMR. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, slightly. Where are we?" The wind from the cave was cold against her skin.

He shrugged, "Some nearby cave, I didn't want to wander too far off when the others started looking for us. Lena…about that dragon…"

"Let me guess they killed her. What about you? Are you okay? Are you injured?" She asked him to quickly change the subject.

"I'm fine, if anything I'm more worried about you."

"I am fine. It was fire magic I used, and fire is my specialty so there's nothing to worry about." She shrugged.

"That not it. You're shirt turned to ash back there, aren't you cold?"

She glanced down, and blushed. "How long?"

"Since flaming wings burst out of your back. You didn't notice?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Well using large amounts of fire magic does cause my body temperature to rise, so no; I didn't notice." She turned and looked at him, and noticed he was scraped on most parts of skin he had revealed. "You lied! You're covered in scrapes."

"These are nothing."

She moved over to him, and placed a hand on his calf. "You should tell me about these things."

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd use what little magic you have left to heal them." He frowned, as she did just as he predicted.

"I said I'm fine. Fire magic doesn't drain me, like other types do and healing takes very little energy at all." Her voice was quiet.

His hand lifted her face up so she had to look at him. "Why? Why doesn't fire magic take a lot of effort? I asked Hephaestus and he said that controlling fire takes a lot skill and concentration."

"Not for the Fire Child." Her hands moved to his arm, healing the small nicks and scraps there. The look on his face made her continue. "The fire child is a creature born every hundred years or so to some unlucky family. Normally, the fire child is killed before birth happens, and if one is lucky enough to live, it's at expense of our mother. Because we need to be kept warm, so we make a cocoon of fire inside the womb, which cooks it from the inside out. The pain is excruciating for the host so either their body rejects the child or if their determined to have the baby they seek magical aid."

Herry listened to her quietly, but every fiber of his being was telling him to make that look on her face disappear. When she finished he kissed her, tenderly at first but when she responded to him he lost all will to stay tender. When she pulled away, breathless, he laughed.

"I really wish you'd stop doing that." Lena muttered, with her arms around his neck.

"Sorry, I just really wanted to change that look on your face and that was the only thing I could think of that would work." He smiled.

She frowned, "Sorry. I'm a depressing topic."

"It's alright; I got something out of it."

She tilted her head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I got to learn something new about you, and I got to kiss you without being frozen."

"You're not letting that go, are you?" She whispered, as she knelt over him so she was looking down into his eyes. Her hands moved to his cheek lightly brushing them. She kissed him quickly, pulling away before he could respond. "The others will be coming soon."

"Let them come." He whispered against her neck, nipping it gently.

She squirmed, and whimpered "Don't say things like that, and then do things like this."

He looked up at her, "Can't I?"

She blushed, "Um…Well, saying no wouldn't be entirely correct. But I think getting all riled up just to have the others walking in on us, would be incredibly awkward."

"Good point." He muttered as she stood, turning her back to him, he followed suit and looked at her. She was still shirtless, and he didn't approve of the others seeing her like that. He removed his own shirt, and spoke. "Raise you're arms."

She turned, and raised her arms. "Where's your shirt?" He slipped his shirt onto her. "Oh, I see." She wiggled her hips, "This is huge on me. I bet I could take off my pants and it'd make a pretty decent dress. Thank you, I'll wash it tomorrow, and return it."

There was a rustling in the underbrush outside of the cave, and Herry moved in front of Lena. But they heard Neil's voice, "See this is why we don't go on field trips! We get attacked, my clothes get ruined half the time, and most of us end up going missing!"

"Shut up Neil." Atlanta told him.

Jay walked out of the underbrush. "Hey Herry!" He raised an eyebrow. "Where's your shirt?"

Lena walked out from behind him, "I'm wearing it."

"And where did your shirt go?" Theresa asked, glaring at Herry quickly, before back at Lena.

Lena smiled, "Probably turned into ash…and is now spread out over the forest. But we should probably go save those reporters before anything else happens." She began to lead the way to where her scouts had found them.

"Lena, wait. We found your bag." Atlanta tossed it to her.

Lena examined the bag carefully, everything but the strap seemed fine. "My poor bag, don't worry I'll fix you right up when we get back home."

Theresa was examining Lena, she looked fine but something seemed off. She jumped when Jay's hand met her shoulder. "You alright?"

"I'm fine, it's just…I don't know how to explain it, but Lena's aura, I guess…it seems off. Normally, it's a fiery red, but seems kind of muddled, as if something's interfering with it." She shrugged, as she took his hand and they began following Lena.

"Is it Cronus?" He asked quietly.

She shook her head, "I don't think so. Cronus' aura is black; if it was him…I think her aura would be tinted black. It's not though."

Lena's voice brought their attention back to the task at hand. "It seems, according to my scouts, that this is where they should be. But…this is clearly a rock." She glared at the three orbs that were waiting for them. "Did you three mess up? I mean I know I passed out, but you three have enough magic of your own to continue the search for that amount of time."

Neil sat down on a rock, taking a break, when the rock behind him opened up to reveal a secret passage way, "Hey guy's I think I found an entrance."

"Alright, you three get off easy today. Good job, I'll make you some sweets when we get back home." She pulled out a pendant from her bag, and whispered. "Return." The three orbs went into the pendant.

"Good work Neil." Jay said, "You too Lena."

"I'll wait here." Odie told them.

"Alright, call if anything happens." Jay told him as the rest of them

"So," Atlanta began, her question was aimed at Lena. "What are those things? You called them your scouts."

Lena shrugged, "Air spirits. They've been in my family for generations. I inherited them from my father, and he got them from his grandmother. Or at least that's what he told me when he gave them to me. He told me to use them whenever I got lost…which was often enough."

"Do they have names?" Atlanta asked.

She nodded, "Nero, he's the eldest and is always scolding me for doing something wrong. Then there's Aero, he's the middle child and won't do anything I ask of him. And then there's Aria she's the youngest, and she's a complete pain in the ass…Now that I think about they really don't like me, they only do what I tell them to because I bribe them with sweets."

They walked in silence for a time, until they came to a crossroads. "Now what?" Neil asked.

Jay shrugged, "We split up."

"Then we'll take Neil." She pointed to herself and Herry.

"We will?" Herry asked, while Neil asked "You will?"

"He's lucky, and either you come along or Neil and I will go by ourselves." She told Herry, "Come on Golden boy." She began heading down one of the passage ways with Neil following her.

Jay looked at Herry, "You going after her?"

"Well she does seem kind angry."

"She's just probably worried about meeting with someone she knew, the last time that happened it didn't end well remember?" Theresa told him.

Herry sighed, and went after Lena and Neil. "Hey guys! Wait up!" They paused and waited for him. It was only as he approached them did he realize the fine trembles running through Lena. "Lena?"

She turned with that pleasant smile she usually had on when something was wrong. "Yeah? What's wrong?"

"I should be asking you that." His brow furrowed.

"We don't have time to be worried about what's wrong we need to find those reporters." Her voice was pleasant.

Neil sighed, "Do you guys some time alone?"

"No!" She told him, as Herry told him "Yes."

Neil sighed again, and began walking away, "Wave when you want me to come back."

"I'm telling you there's nothing wrong." She told Herry.

He lifted her face up to look at his, "You are a terrible lair. What's wrong?"

"Don't do this please." Her voice was desperate. He stared down at her, concern covered his face. Her hand began running through her hair desperately, "I'm terrified alright? I don't think I can do this. Every time I think about it panic builds up, and it hurts to the point that I can't breathe. I thought I'd never see him again after that incident, but now here we are saving him. Just the thought of it terrifies me to my very core."

"What are you so afraid of? I won't let anything happen to you. I'll protect you, so don't worry." He said with smile, as his hands took hers. "So trust me."

His words warmed her to her toes erasing all traces of fear from her. Her hands gave his a quick squeeze. "Thank you. It's alright Neil you can come back now."

Neil walked back with his hands behind his head, "Took you long enough. Let's hurry up and find those reporters these caves aren't good for my hair."

"Agreed anymore of this and I'll be a puff ball for the rest of the week." Lena admitted.

They walked the tunnels for an hour, they kept getting lost. She told them that's what happens when they let her lead. So they finally let Neil guide the way hoping that his natural luck would either lead them outside or lead them to the reporters. That's when she stopped "Did you guys hear that?"

"The only thing I hear is Herry's stomach growling." Neil told her.

"What? I'm hungry."

"I am too." She told them, "But that's not the point, the point is I heard screams. This way." She began running, with the other two close behind her. They approached an open cavern that was lit up with torches. "Huh…I always figured Cronus as a 'leave you in the dark' kind of guy."

"Lena?" The voice from the tape brought their attention to the cages that dominated most of the room.

Lena looked at the man, and frowned. "I had forgotten about you." Her voice held the detest that her innocent smile hid. "Here I was hoping that you would have gotten yourself eaten. Damn I was hoping to watch everyone's sorrow over the death of Daryl Stark."

He ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair, and sigh. "You still haven't forgiven me for that have you? I thought that these scars would have been enough punishment."

"You will never suffer more than I did. I'm not sure what hurt more, what you three did or the betrayal that you joined them. But don't get me wrong, I'm not here to save you because you're a friend of my stepbrother. I'm saving you because I have to or my leader won't be too happy about it. Speaking of which Neil can you call him, let him know that we found them."

"Get Herry to do it!" Neil glared.

Lena glared back at him, "Herry needs to break the locks open, so unless that file in your back pocket has some other use to it besides maintaining your perfect nails I suggest you call the others."

"Others? How many more are there?" Daryl asked.

"We've got four others searching the caverns, and one more outside. You do the math." The innocent smile on her face had disappeared.

"I see. Anyways this is great news; your mother is worried about you. But here you are alive and well. Wow that was the last thing I expected." He began to prattle on, "Here we thought that when you ran away from the hospital, that you'd finish what you started."

Her head turned to him, and she glared. "As if I'd give you three the satisfaction of my-"

Herry had been watching their banter, confusion covered his face when the man, Daryl, brought up Lena breaking out of a hospital, and when she stopped in mid-sentence he couldn't help but feel like she was hiding something important from him. "Wait, what? Quit talking about things that only you two know about."

"Oh? You're companion doesn't know about your attempt at suicide?" Daryl smirked.

Her glare turned ice cold, "I should have killed you when I had the chance."

"Empty threats."

She walked to his cage; a certain satisfaction filled her as he cringed away. "Oh Daryl you know full well what I am capable of, which means you also know that it is not an empty threat."

Jay and the rest of the team, save Odie, who was still holding camp outside. "Hey you found them! Why does Lena look angrier then when we parted ways?"

Lena turned; her pleasant smile was plastered onto her face. "What? Who's angry now?"

"You are; clearly." Theresa admitted.

"Let's just get them out of their cages. Archie and Atlanta are setting up a trail of Promethean Glow sticks to lead the way out." Jay told them.

"Agreed," Lena nodded. "I want this fieldtrip to end already."

Herry broke the cage locks and Jay lead the group out of the mountain. They were greeted happily by Odie, Archie and Atlanta, and they watched as some of the reporters began to cry as they hit the sunlight.

Daryl approached Lena; his voice was a whisper "Can we talk?"

"Fine, I have something to tell you too." Her gaze was still cold.

Theresa had gotten to work erasing the memories of the reporters. Jay watched to make sure nothing happened to her. Odie went to work on erasing all the data about the dragon, and Cronus. Archie and Atlanta began to take a well deserved break with Neil.

Herry began to think over reasons why Lena wouldn't tell him something like that. He began to look around, and noticed that she wasn't with the group. "Guys, where's Lena?"

"Huh? That's weird she was just here a moment ago." Atlanta began to look around as well.

Archie pointed in front of them, into a couple of bushes. "She went in there with one of reporters."

"You knew and didn't say anything?" Herry asked, and was about go after them when Odie spoke.

"Two years ago in December, three men were admitted to an Albertan hospital for severe burns. One was Daryl Stark; the other two were Raphael Jackson and Derek Mathews. All three of them were brought in by the same person. The new Mrs. Maria Jackson, formally known as Maria Rose: Lena's stepmother." He looked up at Herry. "So who do think created the fire that burned them so severely? She can take care of herself." He pushed up his glassed and went back to working on the cameras.

They waited for Lena to come out of the bushes, and when she did the scowl on her face made them all feel ultimately better. They became even more relieved when Daryl Stark came out behind her. Lena smiled to Theresa, "He's all yours, just don't erase the reason why he has those scars."

Theresa nodded, and placed a hand on his shoulder. She was immediately overwhelmed by a vision. A small girl with crimson hair attempted to fight off three much larger men, all of them in suits. She recognized one of them as the man standing in front of her. She then recognized the girl as Lena. She saw bits and pieces of what they did to her, and she swallowed hard on the bile that came up her throat. She felt it, rather than saw it, a searing pain that nearly burned her own flesh. Jay caught her as her knees buckled beneath her.

"Theresa, are you okay? What did you see?" Jay asked.

"You son of a bitch!" Theresa exclaimed, as she felt anger build up inside her. She lunged at the reporter standing there looking completely confused. She ended up on top of him; his shirt bundled in her fists. "How could you do that to her? How could you fucking do that to her?" She demanded.

"Theresa!" Jay pulled her off of Daryl before she could do something stupid.

Lena's eyes widened and she went to Theresa's side and placed a hand on her face. "Sleep." She used her magic to put Theresa to sleep. Then she placed a shoe on Daryl's stomach, "Forget." and she could tell from the dazed look on his face that it had worked. "Let's go. Before they snap out of it and Theresa wakes up. We can call the park rangers that they're here from Hermes office. It's been a long day, and I want to go home."

"Well I'm good here, I'll call Hermes." Odie stood and they waited for the portal. "Prepare to be jumped."

"Huh?" Lena looked at him confused, as everyone back away. The portal opened and Lena walked in. That was when she noticed the dragon from before. "You should be-" Her sentence was cut off by being licked.

Chiron strode up, "So that's where you went. Oh Lena welcome back, it seems she likes you."

The others walked in the portal, "I persuaded Hera to let us keep her, as a training exercise, since you seemed so insistent on keeping her alive I thought that would be the best way to do it." Jay told her.

"Does she have a name yet?" Lena asked.

Chiron smiled, "I thought it would be more appropriate for her savior to name her."

"Rhiannon. It means nymph in Welsh. How do you like it?" Rhiannon licked her in approval. "Yeah, I like it too. My father told me that's was my grandmother's name."

The rest of the day passed quickly, and soon it was time to go home. Odie had told them that the reporters had been found soon after they called it in. When Theresa woke, she made no notion that she remembered her vision. They all went their separate ways to their rooms. That was when Theresa approached Lena.

"How did you deal with it? How did you overcome that?" She asked.

"I didn't…I tried to take my own life, then I ran away. Like the coward I am." Lena whispered as she headed into her room. In her own mind she knew that the only reason she slept at all that night was because of Herry's shirt, and the comfort of his words from inside of the caverns.


	10. Reasons

(A/N: Oh look another two chapters up at the same time yay~! Actually the only reason why I'm doing this is because posting chapter seven's two parts would have been very depressing if I had just done it one at a time. So I am going to warn you now: There is some smut in this chapter, not a whole lot, but still some. So chapter eight, enjoy!)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans belongs to its legal owners.

Chapter 8: Reasons

"Mama? Are you going to let us fade away?" A little girl looked up at her, despite the angle; the light still cast shadow on her face.

"What?" She asked.

"We don't want to fade away." A little boy took her hand; his face too was covered in shadows. She placed a hand on her swollen stomach, where she felt the unborn child kick in protest like its siblings. "Please mom, don't let us fade away." The boy pleaded, as she was pulled out of this world.

Lena sat up quickly, her heart pounded inside her chest. Her knees came up to meet her arms, and then her head met her arms. "That dream again…" She looked at the sun which streamed in through her curtains; she moved sluggishly to the window and pulled the curtains apart. She hurriedly opened the window for some fresh air, the late morning wind sent chills throughout her body and she welcomed it wholly. "Good morning world." She said.

"Look who finally decided to crawl out of bed." Theresa's voice brought Lena's attention to the ground below. Jay, Archie, Atlanta and Theresa were playing a game of basketball, while Odie kept score from the sidelines.

"Morning guys. Who's winning?" She gestured to the game.

"Archie and Atlanta." Odie told her.

Jay looked at her, "Herry will be back soon, join us, we'll have a three on three game before lunch."

Lena smiled, "I'll pass. I have no pants, so I should probably do laundry. Plus basket ball isn't my sport, I'm a terrible shot." The truth was that since that night a week ago when Theresa asked her about that incident, she hadn't been able to stay in the same location as her for longer than necessary. They acted normal around the others but even that was strained.

Lena closed the curtains and got dressed. Her mind was still bothered by her dream, a dream that had haunted since the night she tried to kill herself. Her thumb unconsciously stroked the scars that rested on her arms. There were always three children, sometimes the third was unborn or was crying in another room but there was always a boy and girl, whose faces she could never seem to see. They always pleaded for her to not let them disappear, but whenever she asked what they meant she always woke up and that worried her. She sighed as she did up the buttons on the shirt she had put on, and grabbed her laundry basket.

She sat on the dryer, waiting for her final load to finish. Despite Athena's constant protests, she couldn't kick the habit. She continued to think about that dream that insisted on haunting her. "Let them fade, huh?" Her hand moved to her stomach, which was still flat unlike in her dream. She noticed where her rested and she pulled it away quickly. "I'm only seventeen I shouldn't be thinking about these things."

_"Please mom, don'__t let us fade." _The little boy's voice ran through her head.

She let out a tiny cry of frustration and muttered, "I don't you to fade either."

"Who's fading now?" Herry's voice made her jump, and nearly made her fall off the dryer.

"No one! It was just a dream I had this morning." She jumped off the dryer.

He walked over and hugged her, "What sort of dream?"

"The unpleasant kind: that haunts you for the rest of your life." She frowned.

He tilted his head to the side, "A nightmare?"

She moved out of his arms because the dryer beeped. "Nightmares are tolerable; this is torture through a dream." She began to fold her clothes.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I do…but you probably don't. This is probably more of something I'd talk to Theresa about." She frowned harder.

He leaned on the washer, and looked at her. "But you can't talk to Theresa, can you? You've been avoiding her since she had that vision last week."

She stopped all movement, "You noticed?"

"We've all noticed. We just decided it would be best to let you two work it out." He shrugged. "So are you going to tell me? Or just keep another secret from me?" His voice held a touch of seriousness to it.

She cringed, "Fine, I'll tell you, just remember that you're the one who wanted to know." She began to fold again, "I started having this dream almost two years ago, just after New Years. It starts out with me, I think…looking down at two children, one's a boy and the others a girl. They tell me not let them fade away. Their faces are always covered in shadow, and whenever I go to ask them what they mean, I always wake up." She planted her face into the pile of clothes she had folded. "It's quite frustrating."

"Why?" He asked.

She looked at him, "Because I have no idea what they want me to do to keep them from fading away. Back then I knew exactly why they asked that. But I am clearly doing something else wrong, or else I wouldn't be having that dream."

He took her hands in his, turning her towards him. "Don't worry about it too much; you're doing the best that you can." He kissed her, which caused her to drop the pants she had been folding and she laced her fingers through his.

Jay had gone down the stairs to go tell Herry and Lena that lunch was ready. He hadn't been expecting to see them interlaced in each other's arms. He could feel the blush cover his face, sure Theresa and he did this sort of stuff all the time, but it was different watching other people. He cleared his throat, "Guys lunch is ready."

Lena pulled away the moment she had heard Jay clear his throat. Blush colored her face, and she picked up the pants that she had dropped. She folded them quickly, threw them in the basket and rushed up the stairs. While Herry sighed and turned to Jay, who lead him up the stairs where the others were waiting for them.

They ate lunch quietly, and then went their separate ways. The guys, except for Neil who was at another photo shoot, had a football game to watch, saying something about the Grey Cup this year was supposed to be intense. Theresa and Atlanta had gone to the mall, they had invited Lena but she politely refused. Lena had instead helped Athena clean up the leftovers from lunch, and had headed up into her room for some alone time with her Xbox, Annette had sent her a new game to try out.

Lena had heard when the football game had ended; the guys, mostly Archie, let out disappointed cries. She knew those cries, they were ones she had heard often enough when she was at home. The Riders had lost. She simply rolled her eyes and continued playing her game. She only looked up when someone knocked on her door, "It's open." She called. Herry opened the door and she moved over to make some room for him on her bed. "How was the game?"

"The Riders lost." He said as he sat down.

"What was the score?"

"21-18," He told her. "All we needed was a touchdown, or at least a field goal to go into overtime. Wait why do you have that look on your face?"

"Because I was thinking about calling Raph-my stepfather to laugh at him, although, he'd probably be too drunk to remember. I'm sorry about your game."

"You don't like him very much do you?"

"Who?"

"Your stepfather. Why?"

"What's not to like? He makes good money, he's easy on the eyes…I guess." She shrugged, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You burned him for some reason."

Her grip tightened on the controller, and she laughed shakily. "What makes you think I did something like that?"

"Odie told me." He admitted.

Her grip tightened even harder, but she kept her voice pleasant "What else did Odie tell you?"

"Nothing, and if you keep tightening your grip your controller's going to break." She sighed, and loosened her grip. She looked up at her game and continued while he watched her. 'There's still so much I don't know about you.' He thought to himself, 'When are you finally going to let me inside heart for real?"

"What's wrong? You suddenly went all quiet." She asked her attention still mostly on her game.

"I was just thinking that you should turn off your game, and cuddle with me." To emphasize his point the wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his head on her lap.

"Doesn't this usually go the other way around? Why are you being so cuddly today, anyways?" She squirmed a little trying to readjust her position so that Herry rested more comfortably and in a less dangerous position on her lap.

"Well, you and I have had barely any alone time since last week, because someone insists on spending all of her free time with Rhiannon." His lips pursed into a pout.

"You aren't jealous…are you?" She looked down, and stifled a laugh; he just looked so adorable like that.

"And if I am?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm…I don't know, I haven't decided yet." She looked back at the TV to hide the amused look on her face. He frowned, but then thought of an interesting idea to get her attention. His hands moved inside her shirt gently lifting the fabric up. "Herry? What are you do-" Her question was cut off the moment she felt his teeth meet the small of her back. He nipped at her back playfully; earning him little noises from her which she tried to hide by covering her mouth.

Jay had once again been sent to get Lena and Herry for food. When he demanded to know why, the others simply told him: because he was their leader. He muttered "Please gods let them be playing cards." It wouldn't have been the first time he walked in on them playing cards. He knocked quickly and opened the door "Lena…" He stopped in the door way, frozen. He saw a red faced Lena covering her mouth and biting into one of her fingers, and Herry's hands under her shirt. Jay simply blinked twice and closed the door; his face was a crimson red. He quickly muttered, "Much more of this and I am going to need a nice long cold shower." He let out a sigh, and opened the door again. Lena and Herry were both sitting up, although the red tint on her face, and the smirk on Herry's gave away that they were doing something naughty. "Dinner is ready and Athena said if you're not down within five minutes, she's feeding your shares to Rhiannon." Jay turned on his heel and headed down the stairs.

Herry got up off the bed and started to head to the door. "You coming?"

"Just give me a minute to get my heart to calm down." He smirked and she threw a pillow at him.

"Alright, I'll meet you downstairs." He left.

"I'm going to need a very cold shower after dinner…" She muttered, trying not to remember the feel of Herry's teeth on her back.

They ate the awkwardness between Jay, Lena and Herry almost made Neil, who had just gotten home, turn around and walk out. The awkwardness had spread out to the group so for the second time that day they ate in silence. Lena had finished eating first, and had gone off for her shower.

Herry had waited for the others to finish eating, because he wanted to talk to Theresa. "Hey Theresa, can we talk?"

"Yeah, sure Herry. What's up?" She asked.

"It's about Lena…I mean, we've been dating for a month now but I still don't know anything about her." He sighed.

"We all don't know much about her, she doesn't talk about her past much, besides what she's told us." She shrugged.

"But…um…From a girl's point of view: why do you think that she won't." His eyes were pleading.

She sighed, "Look at this through Lena's point of view. Her past wasn't pleasant and it got to the point where she became afraid of men. Just give her time she'll open up eventually." She smiled, "As for worrying about whether she cares about you…don't. The rest of us can see it, even if you can't." She got up and patted him on the back, "Don't worry about it too much." She left.

"How am I not supposed to worry?" He whispered to himself.

Lena walked out of the bathroom with a towel in her hair and her button up shirt on, the lack of shorts wasn't apparent because her shirt went to her mid thigh. It wouldn't have been the first time she walked out of the bathroom without shorts and no one noticed. She was glad it was Sunday; it meant she could be alone with her thoughts. She headed to her room, and instantly regretted her anti-shorts appearance. Herry was waiting for her, dressed in pajama bottoms and an old shirt. He smiled, "I thought we could watch a movie before bed, if you wanted to that is."

"Sure, did you have something in mind to watch?" She asked as she opened the door, and headed to her dresser to brush out her hair.

"I just figured we'd watch something from your collection." He began sifting through her DVD's.

She laughed, "You think you'd get sick of watching them."

"You always have something new in stock, or there's always something I haven't seen yet." He pulled out one and showed it to her, "Or there's always a favorite stored in here somewhere."

"Hercules? You'd think you'd get enough of that from school." She smiled and took the movie from him, and set up her laptop on her nightstand.

"But there's a TV right there." He laid down beside the wall, waiting for her to join him.

"My game's still running because someone interrupted me before I could save. And weren't you the one complaining about cuddling earlier?" She sat down on the edge of the bed, and began braiding her hair.

"You can leave it down, you know."

She stuck out her tongue and quickly finished, "Its soaking wet, meaning my bed will get soaked too, and I'll wake up with a terrible chill tomorrow at least." She shut off the lights and laid down, "Plus this way this way is just more comfortable for me."

He cuddled into her back, his head easily rested over hers, his arm wrapped around her waist until they were fully connected. "You're freezing." He pointed out.

'That's because I just took a cold shower.' She thought, as she snuggled into him. "Then warm me up." Her tone was playful, while her mind was begging him not to. She started the movie as he threw her blanket over them.

Sometime during the movie Herry had fallen asleep, and Lena hadn't been far behind him. The only reason why she woke up was because her PMR's alarm was going off. She shut it off angrily and shuffled through her drawer looking for her pills; she popped one in her mouth and swallowed hard. After shutting down her laptop, and taking off her bra, throwing it in the direction of the hamper, she finally decided to go back to bed.

That was when she heard it, tiny moans coming from Theresa's bedroom. Her room was in the middle between Atlanta's and Theresa's luckily her bed was pressed against the wall that connected to Atlanta's room. She cursed herself for her sharper hearing, and began reaching around for the nearest projectile; this was why she slept on the edge of the bed, to be able to find random objects to easily throw across the room. Like her tissue box. She threw it hard and it hit the wall with a clutter. She spoke loud enough for the two in the other room to hear her without waking Herry, "I've got more where that came from. Keep it down." She set her alarm clock for earlier than she usually got up and went back to sleep.

Jay had been extremely frustrated because of the sight of Lena's face, when he had gone to get them for dinner. It had reminded him of Theresa the first night they spent together. He had gone to her room, hoping that she would be awake, and she was. That's how he had been able to relieve his stress, but the sounds she was making nearly drove him insane, and he craved more of them, forgetting that they were at the dorm. He had also forgot, while Theresa lay writhing beneath him, that Lena had a sharper sense of hearing than the others. That's when he heard the clatter, a clear sign that she had in fact heard them, and then he heard her tell them to keep it down. Blush covered his face, and he watched as Theresa covered her mouth, and with a slight nod their night of passion continued.

Lena wasn't sure how she ended up in this position, her hands pinned above her with Herry kneeling over of her. She had quickly shut off her alarm clock this morning to make sure that he wouldn't wake up, and when she had climbed out of bed, his hand grabbed her wrist and the next thing she knew was laying underneath him, with her hands pinned over her head by one of his. She couldn't move, not because he was stronger than her, and not because she was afraid either. She couldn't move because moving meant hurting him in some way, and she had no intentions of doing that.

His lips pressed against hers, capturing hers in a passionate kiss. The kiss however was sloppy, a clear sign that something wasn't right with this picture. She opened her eyes when his free hand began undoing the buttons on her shirt. That's when she saw it, his eyes were glazed over. Her thoughts disappeared when his hand brushed her breast. She let out a surprised yelp, "Herry!"

He looked at her, and smiled. "You don't sleep with a bra on." His voice was a slow drawl, another clear sign that he was half asleep. He began to kiss lower, first her jaw, and then her neck.

She wasn't sure what to be angry at, the fact that he was doing this to her, or the fact that he was doing this to her half asleep. She squirmed as he cupped one of her breasts and began massaging it. Even though she hated that this was happening, she needed to admit that it felt pretty damn good. 'Think about how good it feels later! For now you need to get yourself out of this mess before this goes too far!' Her conscious scolded her. She began to franticly look around for something she could use to snap him out of his hormone induced stupor.

She bit her bottom lip hard to keep her from thinking about how his mouth was moving down further. 'If only I had some…Water!' She suddenly remembered the glass of water that she kept at her bedside at all times. She concentrated on the glass that she knew was there, and once she got a sense of that, she clung to the liquid inside it. She willed it over to them, and when she opened her eyes again, she saw the water floating above them. "Sorry, Herry." She let the water splash on top of both of them.

He blinked, what was going on? Why was he wet and why were his pants feeling tighter than usual? That was when he remembered his dream, and he looked up at one very trapped Lena. He pulled away quickly, the horrific feeling in his gut shattered all other feelings, and the tightness in his pants suddenly disappeared. "Crap! Lena! Sorry!" He began to get up and leave. "I should probably get going, and get ready for school."

'You know, if you let him leave now; he'll never risk being alone with you again.' That quiet, but cynical voice that rested at the back of her mind told her. She watched as he began to turn the doorknob, and she quickly crossed the room. She placed a hand on the door, and wrapped the other around his chest. "Don't go…At least not until I explain why I stopped you."

He turned, took one look at her appearance and sighed. He began doing up the buttons that he had apparently undone, and went back to sit on her bed. "So…" He paused. "Can I ask why I am wet?"

She grabbed a towel from one of the hooks on her wall, and went to stand in front of him. She began to towel dry his hair. "Water was the only thing I could of that would wake you up without hurting you." She hugged him, leaving the towel as a barrier between them. Her toned became a whispered one, "I did what I did because, well mostly because, we have to be getting ready for school soon, and I intend to get some hot water before Neil uses it all."

"Mostly because we have school today? That's it?" He sat her down on his lap, so he could look her in the eyes.

"And well, I'd rather our first time not be a…" She could feel the blush heat up her face, and she did a wafting motion. "quick fuck. That and after last night Jay and Theresa would never let me live it down, so us being completely alone would be an amazing bonus."

"What happened last night?" He raised an eyebrow.

"They were being loud so I threw the tissue box at the wall." She motioned to the tissue box that was laying on the floor across the room. She looked at the clock, and paled. "Crap, if I don't move now, Neil's going to wake up. I'll see you downstairs at breakfast." She dashed out of the room.

Theresa had yawned coming down the stairs, last night had apparently been a mistake, or at least her body thought so. She caught a look from Atlanta, "What?"

"Late night?" Atlanta asked innocently.

Theresa shrugged, "Studying."

Lena walked down the stairs, a smirk on her face. She noticed that both Jay and Theresa were in the kitchen, along with everyone but Neil, who was in the shower. She watched as Theresa stifled another yawn, and Jay was clearly trying to do the same. "Long night you two?" Her grin got bigger.

Jay raised an eyebrow, "How was the sleep over party?"

Lena smiled kindly, "At least we slept."

"That's not what it sounded like when I woke up this morning." Jay crossed his arms.

"At least we didn't keep the neighbors awake last night. With the amount of noise you two were making you probably alerted Cronus where we are." She gave him a "What now?" kind of look.

Odie looked at Jay who was clearly stumped, "The winner is Lena. Now if you would all stop doing this sort of thing while I am trying to eat."

"Nice try, Jay, you're getting better." Lena smirked, and whispered so that only he could hear. "And as pleasing as Theresa's moans are, could you at least go into your own room next time?"

The blush that covered Jays face was a passionate scarlet. Atlanta spoke, "And she strikes the real finishing blow in whisper. The victor is once again Lena."

Lena took a sweeping bow, "Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week."


	11. Pain

(A/N: Chapter nine...is short! Yay new chapter! We have offcially hit the angst ark, so be prepared. PS: I will try to have chapter ten out by Christmas. Now onto chapter nine!)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans and song lyrics belong to their legal owners.

Chapter 9: Pain.

Lena was meditating in a circle of candles, trying to relieve some magical stress that had built up. She had woken up early to meditate, although she hadn't bothered to get dressed which meant that she wasn't wearing any pants. Which meant one of her dorm mates was bound to walk in on her at any given moment. Why did she had all of this pent up magic? It might have been because they hadn't fought Cronus in a while, or it could have been because of the cold weather was trying to damper on her spirits, or maybe it was because the anniversary of that incident was coming up and she was just having a harder time controlling her anger. She was voting for option three.

There was a knock on her door, and Atlanta's voice came through the door. "Lena? You up?"

"I'm awake; I'm even out of bed." She called back.

Atlanta opened the door, "Just checking. Hurry up and get dressed, we'll be leaving soon."

"Alright." She watched Atlanta leave, and blew out her candles. She stood and looked at her calendar, the small colored in black box stood out against the white. It was winter break starting tomorrow, so that meant one week until Christmas, and two days later she would be celebrating the worst day of her life. "Only nine days left and then you make it through another year…there's no need to panic."

"Lena! Clocks ticking!" Jay's voice called.

"I know! Sheesh." She turned to her dresser and gazed down at the makeup that was scattered over it. She turned on her MP3 player and restarted whatever song had last played. "_I shouldn__'__t love you, but I want to, I just can turn away. I shouldn__'__t see you, but I can__'__t move. I can__'__t look away._" She let out a hissed breath and turned it off. How many times had she laid in bed thinking that that song was a perfect match for her feelings? She took a controlled breath and began applying her makeup. As much as she hated wearing it, it helped her control how much panic showed on her face, which she usually passed off as none.

She looked at the dress that she and Athena had spent the last week sewing. It sat on her desks chair, simply waiting for her to put it on. "Well…" She muttered, "I've haven't worn a dress in public in a while, so what could it hurt?" She slipped the dress on and zipped it up. The red fabric was bright against her skin. The sleeves clung to her arms until it reached middle of her forearm, the fabric then began to widen and hung loosely at her wrists. The trim had white cotton balls attached to it, to give it a more Christmassy feel. She pulled on her red and white stripped stockings and pulled her hair into pigtails tied up with green ribbons. She grabbed her bag and headed down the stairs.

"It's about time." Atlanta looked at the stairs. "What are you wearing?"

"It looks like one of Santa's elves got loose." Archie stifled a laugh.

Lena frowned, "I dress up to try to get into the Christmas spirit, and you laugh at me? I am hurt! I hope you know that Athena and I spent a lot of time making this!"

"I think she looks cute." Theresa said, "Now come and eat."

Lena sat down and grabbed herself some toast. "Thank you, Theresa."

Jay coughed, "So, Lena, you still haven't told us what you want for Christmas."

She shrugged, "There isn't much that I want. I mean I already have a sufficient amount of books, movies and CD's."

"Meaning you aren't going to tell us." He raised an eyebrow.

She looked at the ceiling, "Well, what I really want to do for Christmas is to spend it with Annette."

"So why don't you?" Odie asked.

She looked at him skeptically, "Please with the amount of trouble you people get in, I wouldn't be able to stop worrying." She looked at the piece of toast that she was still holding, "Plus, that would put her in danger, and if anything happened to her, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. That and I have no idea how to explain randomly needing to come back to here if something does in fact happen." She took a bite of her toast.

Herry walked down the stairs, with a yawn. "Morning."

"Now that's just not fair! You guys pester me all morning to get ready, but you let him sleep in!" Lena's mouth dropped open.

"Yes well Herry at least won't pass back out, and he wakes up the moment he smells food. Unlike somebody we could mention." Jay looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

" Ah, touché." She finished her toast.

Herry grabbed his breakfast and sat down beside Jay, which put him straight across from Lena. He looked at her, and blinked. "What are you wearing?"

"She is clearly dressing up as an elf." Archie told him.

Lena threw the apple she had grabbed at Archie, unfortunately he caught it. Athena glared at them, "Don't throw food!"

"Sorry Athena." They both told apologized.

"Hey, toss that back here. I was actually intending to eat it." He tossed the apple back at her. "Thanks. And to answer your question seriously, I am wearing a dress that will hopefully help me get into the Christmas spirit."

"You mean you're not excited?" Theresa asked, "How could you not be excited? The presents; that pleasant feeling you get giving and receiving them. The festive feeling would normally take over anyone."

She lifted up a finger, "One: snow." She lifted up another, "Two: The prices of things get jacked up and people still buy them." She lifted up a third finger, "And finally: I have never thought of Christmas as pleasant. The thought of my family sitting at a dinner table all at once makes me feel sick to my very core." She shuddered.

"And yet you still bought everyone Christmas presents the last time we went shopping." Atlanta told her.

"Obligation, think of it being my way as saying thanks for this past year." She shrugged.

"Wait! You got us presents! What did you get?" Neil asked, suddenly interested in the conversation.

"Wait one week, and find out." She smirked.

"Boo!" He pouted.

"You kids should get going or you're going to be late." Athena told them. They gathered their stuff and headed out the door.

That day: After school.

They were walking around the halls waiting for the other students to leave. "I can't believe you are still calling me an elf. At least say I look like a sexy elf!" Lena scowled at Archie.

"I'll pass, sorry Lena you're too short for my tastes." He smirked.

She stuck out her tongue in distaste. "Ugh, good…Do you have any idea how wrong that would be?"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said, us being attracted to each other would just be wrong. Plus, I am completely happy where I am." She her arm attached itself to Herry's, and she snuggled his.

"You know…I've been wondering something. What happened to that Lance guy?" Atlanta asked.

"Ugh. Could you not bring him up?" Herry groaned.

Jay and Theresa nodded in agreement, "That was definitely one of my more unpleasant summers." Jay admitted.

"How do you think I feel? I wasted an entire summer on him." She looked up at Herry, "Although something good did come from it. But now that I think about it…He did say that he was supposed to be attending here, but I haven't seen a signal sign of him. Thank the gods for that."

A dark laugh was heard, "Such a shame. To think you wouldn't even notice an old friend when you walk past him. How cold, Lena."

They turned, "Ugh…Lance. See this is why you don't say his name, he randomly appears when you do." Lena frowned. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas, and I hope you enjoy celebrating the anniversary of that." He smiled.

Her eyes went wide and her grip on Herry's arm tightened. "Why? Why did you have to bring that up?"

Herry's hands clenched into fists, "Leave her alone."

"Oh who's this? Your latest toy? Poor boy, doesn't even know what he's in for, with the amount of baggage you're carrying. I'm surprised that he's still with you, or does he not know everything yet."

"I said leave her alone." Herry's voice was brimming with anger.

Lena stepped in front of him; her hands were on his chest. "No Herry. Don't do it. He is not worth it. Do not give him the satisfaction of letting him see you angry; you'll being playing right into his trap."

"Seems to me that you've got him wrapped around your finger. But I allow me to say he must be pretty lucky, I've heard you're a good fuck." Lance laughed coldly.

Lena turned, her eyes wide with fear, and her voice was quiet. "Why would you say that? I trusted you with that, but now you're using it against me?" Her hand covered her mouth to keep the sob that had built up in her chest from coming out. She turned and ran past the others, seeking shelter in the nearest washroom.

Jay looked at Theresa, who nodded and went after Lena. He placed a hand on Herry's shoulder, but spoke to Archie. "Archie do you think you could?"

Archie smirked, "Gladly because truthfully no one but me is allowed to pick on Lena." He pulled out his Hephaestus whip, and used it to tie up Lance to keep him from escaping.

Jay's eyes narrowed on the boy in front of him, "Normally I wouldn't suggest using our tools for something like this. But I'll make an exception, for you." He cracked his knuckles.

"Don't forget me." Atlanta told them as she stood by Jay, and Archie. "Nobody makes Lena cry, mainly not in front of us."

Herry began cracking his knuckles, until Odie put a hand on his shoulder and whispered. "Herry, he's a human; with your strength you might kill him."

Herry frowned, "But he-"

Archie turned and smiled, "Leave it to us, we'll do this properly."

"Normally I'm not a violent person, but I've wanted to do this for a while. Now who wants to go first?" Jay asked.

"Ladies first?" Atlanta suggested, and Jay singled for her to go.

Theresa had found Lena under the sink in one of the women's washrooms; the fact that she could fit under there was a wonder. "Lena?"

Lena erected a barrier in panic, "Don't come any closer!"

"Lena, it's me. Theresa." She reached out a hand. "Don't worry, I'm here. It's alright."

Lena lowered the barrier, "Theresa?"

"I'm right here, so come on out of there." She extended her hand out more.

Lena took Theresa's hand, and let herself be pulled up. "Sorry…" She whispered.

"What he said was that about the vision I had back in September." Theresa asked. Lena looked away and nodded. "So what are you going to do now? They're going to want some sort of explanation."

"There's no choice now, I'm going to have to tell them." Lena's eyes were cold, and distant.

"Are you sure? You don't have to do this."

"Herry already knows so there's no point in hiding it anymore." Her tone was just as distant.

"Alright, but I'm right here if you need help." Theresa placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know." She shook off Theresa's hand and headed to the hallway where she had left the others, but only Atlanta and Neil stood there. "Where are the others?"

"Boys locker room, are you alright?" Atlanta asked.

"As alright as I can be. Do I want to know what happened here?"

"Not really." Neil said while filing his nails. "I think I broke a nail."

"You didn't do anything!" Atlanta stared at him in disbelief.

Jay came out of change room, calling behind him, "Mr. Suez usually takes out the trash in about an hour."

Lena raised an eyebrow, "Who's still in there?"

"Trash." The guys shrugged.

Atlanta frowned, "You guys have all the fun."

Herry walked over to Lena and kissed her forehead, "How are you?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Let's go, we shouldn't keep the Gods waiting." A hand met her shoulder and she turned.

Jay's face was worried, "You'll tell us what he meant, what that incident is right?"

"Jay!" Theresa exclaimed.

Lena looked up at Herry and then back at Jay, "I will, but it's not a pleasant tale but it's about time you found out." Her smile was sad. "But not here."

They had headed into the domain of the Gods, and ended up sitting down on the stairs outside the training area, changed and simply waiting for Ares. "I'm not sure how to explain this, without making it seem like it's horribly exaggerated." Lena placed her head on her hands which were clasped together.

"Just tell it like any other tale you've told." Jay suggested.

"If this was like any other tale, I would, but it's not, and I feel sick to my core just thinking about it." She sighed, and then an idea hit her. "Oh wait! I think I know just the trick! My father taught me this trick when I was just a child. It's called the Orb of Memories."

"Clever name." Archie smirked.

Lena shot him a glance, "Quiet Archie, or you'll have some very embarrassing secrets shown, because I can do that."

"You wouldn't!" He glared.

She smirked, "Wanna bet?"

"GUYS!" Neil called.

"Sorry, Neil." They both said.

Jay sighed, "Continue."

"Let me show you what happened that night, almost two years ago." A small orb appeared in her hand and she tossed it lightly in the air, letting it hover there for a bit.

"It's kind of small." Archie stated.

"It's still bigger than some things Arch." Lena smiled fully, and then snapped her fingers and the orb got bigger.

Archie blushed and scowled. "Low blow, Lena. That was completely uncalled for."

"Pay back for calling me an elf all day. Now allow me to tell you a tale, a tale of a naïve girl. A naïve girl that went by the name of Lena Raregrove." Her tone was grave.

"Woah! I thought your last name was Rose." Odie looked at her blinking.

She rolled her eyes, "It was originally, I changed it to my birth mother's maiden name when I was twelve." She shrugged. "It's legal, and is on all of my papers."

"We'll talk about last names later." Jay sighed. "Continue Lena."


	12. Old Memories

(A/N: Chapter Ten! Let the truth be known! This is another short chapter...but it serves it purpose well. Enjoy, and have a Merry Christmas...or whatever holiday you may happen to celebrate.)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans belongs to its legal owners.

Chapter 10: Old memories.

"Well, it was a typical Friday night, two days after Christmas. Her stepfamily was working so she had the house to herself, well mostly, the dogs were there too, but they were downstairs, while she locked herself in her room. She was playing this new videogame she had gotten for Christmas; she had gotten a phone call from her stepbrother about three hours ago. He had told her that after they, being her stepfather and stepbrother, finished this case that they'd pick her up some food. That was when she heard a knock on the door."

"It's really creepy how you can easily refer to yourself in third person." Archie told her.

"I am no longer that naïve girl, so of course it's easy. Now if you'll all look at the orb floating above us. It'll tell you the rest of the tale." The orb floated down into her hand.

They watched intently as the orb began to show images. A television on a table with purple behind it, in the corner of room was a door. They heard knocking, and then Lena's voice was heard. "What?" She called.

The door opened, and two men stumbled in, clearly drunk, while a third waited in the hallway. "Let's introduce our antagonists, the first one with his hand on the doorknob is Raphael Jackson, the one using him to keep his own self up is Derek Mathews, and the one in the back is Daryl Stark." Lena told them.

"Lena!" Raphael called to her, clearly having a hard time standing up. "We won the case!"

Lena's voice was heard again, "Obviously, Gods I can smell you from here."

Derek spoke then, "It was all like he's guilty! And then Raph was all like well he's not, because he's the killer! And he pointed out the true murderer! It was amazing!"

The image moved back and forth, and a quiet sigh was heard. "Hey Daryl," She called out into the hallway. "You were the reporter covering the case?"

"Yup, the case was actually pretty amazing." He told her.

Raphael's voice brought her attention back to the two standing in the doorway. "Lena let's celebrate!"

"As amusing as that sounds, no. Now if you don't have the food I was told I would get, it would be best that you get out of my room, before you drunkards do something stupid." There were some noises of complaints. "I'm sure that even while you're drunk, you remember. If anything happens to me, this house is mine and you three will have to pack up and leave."

Lena sighed and spoke, bringing their attention back to the girl holding the orb, "This is where things get ugly, and is not for the squeamish or weak."

Neil began watching through his fingers and Atlanta took Archie's hand in hers, seeking comfort in it. Jay took Theresa's hand, something had given away the fact that she had been shaking. Herry took Lena's hand in his, knowing that it was harder for her as it was for him. Odie simply sighed and motioned for her to continue.

Raphael's voice was heard then, "Who are you to act so arrogantly?" It was clear he was angry, it was even clearer when he made a lunge for her.

"Fuck!" She threw the controller that she had been using at Derek and leapt over Raphael and headed for the door, ducking past Daryl when she ran past him. She made it to the stairs, only to trip over her own feet, and was inevitably caught around the waist before she could fall. That was when she started to fight, "Let go!" But she was simply being dragged back to her room, and to the bed.

"You little bitch, you killed my buzz." They could see his hand grab her chin. "Hold her down, and keep her mouth shut so she can't start screaming." The orb started to blur, as Raphael began removing her shorts and her panties. The sound of a belt buckle being undone was heard, and the orb shattered.

"You can figure out what happened then." Lena whispered. Theresa's arms wrapped around Lena's small form; covering the girl from the others views completely. "Theresa choking; not breathing."

Theresa pulled away enough so that Lena could breathe, "Sorry."

Odie looked at her, "Lena, I want to ask something."

"Go for it." She shrugged.

"The day you were issued into the hospital was two weeks later, why?"

"Well, that night when Maria came home from her job, she found Raphael, Daryl and Derek on the floor with severe second degree burns all over their body. So she didn't even notice what I looked like, so she didn't take me to the doctor. But I knew that I had to hang on, at least until I knew that I would only be taking my own life, and not the life of some unborn child. At that time finding out if I was pregnant or not was the only thing that mattered." She shrugged as if it was logical. "It took me two weeks to find out that I wasn't, and because Maria was always at the hospital, with Raphael and Derek…Well let's just say that I was a little more than surprised to wake up."

"Well we're glad you did." Atlanta smiled.

"Gather around!" Ares voice brought their attention to the center of the training area and they moved to stand in front of the God of War.

Lena muttered, "Is it just me or does someone look grumpier than usual?"

Odie stifled a laugh, "Lena!" His tone was just as quiet as hers as he jabbed an elbow into her ribs.

"Is there something funny, Lena?" Ares glared at the girl.

"Now, Ares, I am severely hurt that you would think that I of all people was causing trouble." She had put on her innocent face.

"Good now, split into pairs." Their lesson went on.

While the others had lessons with their mentors, Lena had gone off to spend time with Rhiannon, knowing that Apollo wouldn't mind her skipping their lesson. Not that much happened when they got together; they usually just spent their time talking. Rhiannon was waiting for her when she arrived, her tail wagging back and forth furiously. "She's missed you." Chiron told her, and then he asked "Should you be here? Don't you have a lesson with Apollo?"

"Apollo won't mind, we weren't planning to do anything today anyways. I'll take her off your hands for a couple of hours." She took Rhiannon and headed out to the indoor field, and was suddenly thankful for the lack of snow. They spent at least an hour playing catch with a fire ball, well more than one, Rhiannon kept eating them.

Lena ended up slumping down onto the grass, looking at Rhiannon, who was still wanting to play. "Break now; play later." Rhiannon let out a grumble but came up and rapped herself around Lena. She leaned back into the dragon's scales, and her eyes ended up drifting closed, it wasn't long until she was asleep.

Herry had finished his lesson with Hercules early, so he headed to Apollo's study, hoping to find Lena there. The study was empty, which probably meant that Lena had skipped her lesson, and she was probably with Rhiannon. He headed to Chiron's study, "Chiron have you seen Lena?"

"She took Rhiannon about an hour ago, did you check the field?" Chiron looked up from one of his scrolls.

"I was just going to do that, thanks." He headed to the field. That was when he saw Lena and Rhiannon taking a nap. He approached as quietly as he could, but then stopped when he heard a low growl coming from the dragon that was now looking at him, with a grumble he sat down. "You really don't like me do you?" He asked. Rhiannon placed her head on her front legs, watching so that Herry didn't come any closer. "I'll take that as a yes." He muttered, while he made himself comfortable as he waited for Lena to wake up.

The room was on fire, the smell of burnt flesh invaded her nose, but she held back the bile that was threatening to escape from her stomach. She watched as the fire died out, and the screaming started. Their pained screams caused her to cover her ears, and made her apologize repetitively. She rocked back and forth, as the door opened, and her mother appeared.

"What happened here? What have you done?" Her mother demanded.

"I didn't mean to, it was an accident." She had just done what the voice told her to, the voice had told her to awaken and she had.

"What's going on with your eyes? What are you? Oh God! I've been living with a monster!" Her mother said the words with as much fear as she could muster.

A monster? Is that what she was? Yes. She could believe that. After all it wouldn't have been the first time someone had called her that. So now she knew what she was, she was a monster. Something to be feared. Something to be hated. But most of all, she was something that shouldn't exist.

Lena's eyes snapped open; she looked up at the tiny orb of fire that had formed above her. Her hand lurched upwards, capturing it before the orb could do any damage. She smothered it the best she could. "Crap." She muttered and looked around making sure that no one saw that.

"You produce fireballs in your sleep?" Herry's voice brought her attention to where he was laying on the grass.

She frowned, "How long have you been there?"

"For about half an hour." He shrugged, "You didn't answer my question."

She rolled her eyes, and stood up, "Only when I have nightmares."

"What did you dream about?" He asked.

She smirked, "Your mom."

He raised an eyebrow, "That was uncalled for."

"You're right that was uncalled for…Sorry."

"You alright?"

Jay appeared in between the columns, "What are you two doing? Hurry up!"

"Sorry Jay!" She called, "I've got to bring Rhiannon back to Chiron, so go on ahead. Come on girl." She dashed past Herry, and headed back to Chiron's study with the dragon bounding after her.

Jay walked over to Herry, "Is everything alright?"

"I'm not sure." He was staring at the space where Lena had run off to.

Early morning

Jay rolled over, glaring at his clock, which told him that it was now 4:30. He had gotten some sleep during the night, but it had been very little. Something was wrong, he didn't think too much about it last night, mostly because he and Theresa had gone on a date last night, but now that he was alone, and apparently wide awake, his instinct told him that something was wrong. He let out a growl of frustration, threw the covers off, and headed to the kitchen.

He paused on the stairs when he saw the lights on. He sniffed a bit and smelt pancakes. Someone had made pancakes at four in the morning, and he intended to find out whom. He snuck the rest of the way down the stairs and listened for any noise coming from the kitchen. There was only silence; he peeked inside one of the doorways. Lena was sitting there with a spaced out look plastered on her face. He walked in as if he hadn't been sneaking around, but she still didn't seem to notice him. "Lena?" He asked.

Lena's head snapped up, and she began looking around. "Oh, it's just you, Jay."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, I was just worried that you were Athena…that's all." She went back to looking at the pancakes sitting in front of her.

"Are you alright? You've seemed especially out of it since yesterday." He looked at the clock on the microwave; it showed him that it was now 4:40. "How long have you been up anyways?"

She looked at the clock, and then seemed to have a hard time remembering when she got up. "Three maybe four hours now, I don't remember."

"Please tell me you've tried going back to sleep." He got himself a glass of milk, and sat down across from her.

"Hey! Do want some pancakes? There's some batter left over." She got up, and opened the fridge door and grabbed a bowl from the back of fridge.

Jay took this time to notice that she had barely touched her food, which for her was rare. "Lena, are you sure everything is alright?"

"Of course everything's alright, why wouldn't they be?" She laughed, but it sounded off in her own ears, and she prayed that Jay didn't notice. She glanced at the clock, 4:45.

Theresa walked down the stairs because she had heard noises coming from the kitchen. She walked into the doorway ready jump whoever was there, when she saw Lena standing at the stove and Jay sitting at the table. "Oh it's just you two."

Jay looked at Theresa, "Morning."

Lena turned with a smile on her face, "Morning Theresa, do you want some pancakes? There's still some batter left."

"You can cook?" Theresa asked.

Lena frowned, "Why do you people think I can't cook?" Theresa sat down beside Jay and they kissed. "Gross…Allow me to apologize for getting you two together." She turned around and went back to finishing the pancakes she was making, after another quick glance at the clock 4:50.

Theresa looked at Lena and then back a Jay with confusion. He looked away with blush covering his face. "What does she mean, Jay?"

"Well, let's just say I needed a push in the right direction, and she provided that push." He tossed a glare a Lena.

Lena rolled her eyes, "Keep glaring at me Jay and you'll get wrinkles."

"Stop using your third eye at times like this!" Jay demanded.

Theresa sighed, "She can't it's a part of her."

Lena plated the pancakes, and served them. "Your pancakes." She grabbed her plate.

"You aren't going to finish eating?" Jay asked; he was beginning to worry again.

She looked at him, "Please…there is only so much romance one can take with only three hours of sleep. I am going for a shower." She dumped the rest of her pancakes into the garbage with a sigh, and headed up the stairs.

"Theresa…Does she seem off to you?" Jay asked.

Theresa shook her head, "I don't think so, why?"

"I just got this feeling that something was off…that's all."

"It's the lack of sleep." She told him.

Lena had turned the shower on its coldest temperature to make sure she didn't use up all the hot water before she got in. She had known since she had that dream yesterday what was bound to happen, because it had happened to her before. She placed her hand over her mouth but it didn't stop everything she had eaten in the past two days from coming up with a vengeance. She clutched onto the sink for support as her body emptied itself of all nutrients. She tried to quiet the sobs that were coming out, but couldn't because once again it was starting.


	13. Symptoms

(A/N: Chapter Eleven...I'm not entirely sure what to say about this chapter. Well it's longer than the last two chapters I posted, and is probably the last chapter I'm posting for a while...unless some miracle happens and I have some awesome idea while I'm with my cousin, though it's probably not going to happen...So enjoy chapter eleven, AKA: Part three of the ansgt ark.)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans and Lyrics belong to their legal owners

Chapter 11: Symptoms

'Why now?' Lena thought as she stood under the hot water, letting it ease the pain from vomiting. 'I'm happy, so why does this have to happen to me now?' "And how am I supposed to keep the others from noticing?" She whispered into the empty bathroom, as she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her.

She was brushing her teeth when she heard Atlanta's voice, "Lena! Hurry up and come eat!"

Her stomach squeezed, which made her reject any idea of food. She rinsed her toothbrush off, and looked in the mirror. "Looks like its back to vitamin supplements for me." She muttered.

After she had gotten dressed, she then decided to see how much damage she had done while she was asleep, so she began looking at ceiling, and there it was a large black scorch mark. She sighed, sure she had expected some damage while she slept, but she hadn't expected that much. With another sigh she quickly compiled a list of things that she needed, and then she decided to go downstairs. The others were already eating, so she thought she'd try sneaking past the kitchen, but was spotted by Odie.

"Lena, aren't you coming to eat?" He asked.

"I'll pass, I already ate this morning. Plus I need to go to the store; I'll see you guys at the school later." She began to walk away again.

"Do you want me to drive you?" Herry asked.

"It's alright, eat your breakfast, I'll be back before you know it." She smiled, and rushed to the door before anyone else could ask anything else.

"She's acting strangely." Atlanta stated.

Jay looked at Theresa, "See I told you it wasn't from the lack of sleep."

Theresa sighed, "You guys worry too much, if she's really bothered by something she'll tell us."

"Are you sure about that?" Odie asked. "When has she ever told us anything without one of us asking her about it?"

"He has a point." Jay stated. "And even then, if we do ask her about it…she'd probably just tell us that she's fine."

"AH!" Neil squeaked.

"What's wrong Neil?" Theresa asked, "Do you know something?"

"I have a pimple!" Neil told them with tears in his eyes, "My perfect complexion!" The others sighed.

Late that morning: The Gods' Domain

Lena was sitting on Zeus' statue, energy drink in one hand, while the other was clutching onto the statue for dear life. "Sorry Zeus." She whispered, "But I have no intentions of being caught." She saw the others walk in the room, but she sensed the one she was hiding from coming towards the room as well.

Jay was walking past Zeus' statue when he noticed something off about it. "Guys keep it down; I don't think we're alone in here."

"I hate you, Jay." Lena whispered although she knew he couldn't hear it. That was when her faithful dragon sidekick came into the room; her nose clung to the ground, clearly trying to find some sort of smell.

Jay looked at the dragon, "Rhiannon, what are you doing?" She looked up at him, and tilted her head. It was clear that she hadn't noticed that they were there. "You're not usually out unless…" His thoughts drifted off, and he looked up at the statue again. She began sniffing the ground once again; she walked up to the statue and whimpered.

"Don't notice…please don't notice." Lena whispered.

Rhiannon cocked her head to the side, and looked up. "Go see who's up there." Jay whispered to her. She didn't need to be told twice, she backed up while her wings quickly expanded and she wiggled tail. She then took a running start and was in the air in seconds.

Lena turned her head, and ended up nose to nose with Rhiannon, "You found me! Now help me get down." Lena climbed onto her back.

"So you were the one who was up there." Jay said as they landed.

Lena smirked, "Like you didn't know." She made a fireball and gave it to Rhiannon, who gladly ate it.

"What were you doing up there?" Odie asked.

"Playing hide and seek, obviously." She took a sip of her energy drink.

Herry looked up at the statue, then back at the girl in front of them. "How did you get up there?"

"Mad skills." They looked at her skeptically, "Okay I fell back down twice while climbing." The others nodded, as if that made more sense than her actually climbing the statue. "Your lack of faith in me is impressive, I am slightly hurt."

"Come on, let's get going, we don't want to keep Artemis waiting." Jay said half laughing.

Lena stuck out her tongue out, "Ugh, I suck at hand to hand combat."

Odie patted her on the back, "We'll team up, and suck together."

She nodded, "Agreed."

They walked into the training area, where Zeus, Hera and Artemis were waiting. "Well this can't be good." Atlanta spoke, as they formed a line in front of them.

"I am very disappointed in you eight." Hera started.

"What's she talking about? We haven't done anything wrong." Lena quietly asked Odie.

"That's not entirely true." Odie cringed.

"You really think I wouldn't notice that you used the Hephaestus whip on a civilian?" Zeus asked.

Lena's eyes widened, "What did you guys do?" She whispered frantically.

"Well the guys weren't too impressed with Lance yesterday…" Odie's sentence trailed off.

"So whose idea started all of this?" Hera asked.

Jay opened his mouth, but Lena spoke before he could say anything. "It was all my doing! He said something unpleasant, and I snapped, before I knew what I was doing I took Archie's whip and used it to tie him up! I let my anger control me, and because of that I hurt an innocent. The others tried to stop me, but it was too late. So I'm the one to blame, not them."

"I see. Come with me then, we'll talk." The disappointment on Hera's face, sent a sharp stabbing pain throughout her chest, but she was glad that it wasn't aimed at the others.

"As you wish." Lena bowed, and followed Hera to her study, while waving to the others.

Time passed slowly, and their heads kept turning in the direction of Hera's study as they waited for Lena to walk out. "She's been in there for too long." Herry said.

"We shouldn't have let her do that." Jay explained, feeling terrible that Lena had taken the fall for them.

Archie leaned against one of the columns, "We should have tied him up with some simpler rope."

"We didn't have any at the time." Odie told him.

Atlanta hit her head lightly against one of the columns, "I should have gone off to go get some."

"Let's not worry too much about it." Theresa told them, "What we should be worrying about is how you guys are going to apologize to Lena."

"Do you guys not care how huge this pimple is?" Neil exclaimed.

"No one cares about your pimple Neil." Lena told him, now leaning on one of the columns. "By the way, that thing's huge."

"See! I knew it!" Neil screamed as he looked at it in his mirror.

Jay jumped up, "Lena! How did everything go? Ugh! I shouldn't have let you do that!"

"Don't worry about it. Just remind me when we get back to the dorm; I need to hand over my laptop and Xbox to Athena." She sighed.

"What? Why?" Jay asked his eyes wide.

She shrugged, "I'm grounded for the week. At least I can still use my TV…although this probably means no more sleepover parties." She frowned at that thought.

"We're sorry!" The others exclaimed.

Christmas Day: one week later.

"_The elves won__'__t work 'cause they want more pay, they play all night and they sleep all day. Now Mrs. Claus has joined the ERA and this year she wants to drive the sleigh._"Lena sung with a bluesy rhythm, while they waited for the others.

"Alright…" Archie looked at her while she sat in front of the Christmas tree. "What are you singing?"

"_Well I__'__m Santa. They call me Santa Claus. Have I told you I__'__m Santa? They call me Santa Claus. I__'__m Santa! Santa__'__s got, Santa has got the blues~!_" She looked back at Archie, and spoke. "Santa's Got the Blues. Why?"

"Because you are bumming me out. Sing something more cheerful." He told her.

"I'll pass." The truth was that she wasn't in a very cheery mood, in the past week alone, she had lost five pounds. Despite what she tried, her stomach found a reason to reject it. The others hadn't noticed yet, but that was only because of the Glamour magic she had cast. Her nightmares still plagued her, and her ceiling was beginning to look like a war zone. "Just be glad I'm not breaking out in Disney today."

"You break out in Disney?" He raised an eyebrow.

She shrugged, "Often enough."

Jay walked in with the others, "How rare for you two to be getting along, without one of us supervising."

"It's Christmas. Trust me; we'll be at each other's throats again tomorrow." She told him as she passed him a present.

"What's this?" Jay looked at it confused.

She shrugged, "For all of your hard work trying to save Zeus today. From me." She tried to hide the smile that was forming on her face.

He looked at her cautiously, but took off the wrapping paper. A plain brown box was waiting to be opened; he opened it slowly, still wary of receiving a present from Lena. He pulled out the tissue paper that sat in the box, and stared down at the gift inside of it. His face went bright red, and he looked Lena with a shocked expression. She took a picture of it, and then started breaking out in laughter.

"What? What'd you get Jay?" Atlanta asked.

Jay pulled out a box of condoms, the blush on his face increased and Theresa's face went red. "Lena…What is this?"

"Well Jay, as you can see it's a box of condoms because safe sex is the best kind of sex." She tried to remain calm while explaining this, but the others laughter caused her to break out into a new fit of laughter. "Sorry…Sorry. I couldn't help myself." She said in between trying to catch her breath. "It's a gag present, sorry." She reached far behind the tree, and pulled out a new box. "Here's your real present."

He took it, "You are a terrible example for future generations."

"Yeah I know but I really, really wanted to see that look on your face. Priceless." She stifled another laugh. "Though you can keep the condoms." She dodged as he threw a cushion at her. "Ha! You missed!" A second cushion hit her square in the face. "Okay never mind." She handed everyone else presents, but then looked at Theresa and Atlanta. "Yours are in your own rooms."

"Strange we thought the same thing about yours." Theresa said.

Lena winked, "Great minds think alike."

Odie whispered to Herry, "It seems that we were worried about nothing, she seems fine now considering that she's been on the brink of insanity since she lost her laptop."

Herry whispered back, "I don't know…she's been eating less and less each day."

"Are you really that worried? She might just be trying to keep off those extra holiday pounds. Girls do worry about those things." Odie suggested.

Herry bit his bottom lip, "I guess…"

Lena looked at them, "What are you two whispering about? We're supposed to be having fun today." The look in her eyes clearly stated that she had heard them.

After the presents were opened, and the eggnog, which had been spiked by someone, was finished; Lena had an idea, although she was having trouble standing at this point. She stumbled back onto the couch when she stood up, but somehow she managed to stand up and gather a group circle, consisting of her, Jay, Theresa, Herry and Odie; Neil had already gone to sleep, and luckily Archie and Atlanta were elsewhere. "Guys! Guys!" She started.

"You're drunk!" Jay told her.

"I'm fine, I can still stand…" She wobbled, "…slightly. Anyways we should get Archie and Atlanta under the mistletoe. 'Cause if we get them under the mistletoe, they'll have to kiss. Then maybe they'll get together, finally."

"This is probably the best idea you've had all day." Odie told her.

"Let's do this thingy!" She told them.

"Do what thing?" Atlanta asked walking back into the room.

"Quick! Tie the princess up!" Lena called.

"Princess?" Atlanta looked confused, and then she ended up in a classic princess style dress, and was tied up before she knew what was happening. "Lena! Get me out of here!"

"Sorry, but this is for the best. You can kick my ass when I sober up." Lena knelt in front of her and took a picture. "So then who's going to go get the prince?"

"What prince? Lena!" Atlanta nearly screamed.

Theresa walked out and waved. "I'll get him." She found Archie standing outside; she took a quick breath and tried to look as panicked as possible. "Archie come quick Atlanta has- In the living room."

"What happened to Atlanta?" Archie was already running past her and was looking into the living room within seconds. He saw a tied up Atlanta sitting under a thing of mistletoe tied onto the staff that belonged to Lena, at the end of the staff was Lena sitting there with her legs crossed.

"Now what'll the poor prince do? Save his princess with the power of true loves first kiss or will he loose to the Evil Queen's magic, and fall victim like his friends?" Her now black silk dress heightened the effect of the 'Evil Queen' role that she was trying to portray.

"You're drunk!" Archie told her.

Atlanta struggled against her binds, "Archie! Help me out here."

"Well it's your move, what'll you do Arch?" Lena asked; her tone was serious.

Archie looked back and forth between Atlanta and Lena. It was clear that they had set things up for him, but what he did next was all up to him. Was he really going to waste this opportunity? Could he really afford to do that? With all the dangers they faced with Cronus; could they really afford to not to be honest with each other? His head was spinning and he now instantly regretted spiking the eggnog earlier.

Blush covered his face as he made his choice; he then whispered a nearly silent apology to Atlanta before striding into the room confidently, like he had seen Neil do almost a thousand times. He knelt in front of Atlanta, and whispered in her ear, "I like you, I always have." He had no idea why he said that, despite the fact that they were his true feelings, he decided to blame it on the eggnog.

"What are you saying Archie?" Atlanta asked as Archie's lips moved onto hers.

"AAHHH!" Lena cried as she faked her death. "Is this the end?" She dissolved her magic and everyone was back in their regular clothes.

Atlanta hit Archie as he pulled away, "What was that for?" He asked.

"That was for going along with them," She kissed him on the cheek, "That was also for going along with them."

"Well that was fun." Lena said as she stood up, "Now off to bed."

"Lena…" Atlanta looked at her, glaring.

"DO NOT WANT!" Lena yelled as she ran away.

One week and a half later

They were in combat training when it happened. Lena had fainted. They had been watching Archie and Jay go against Herry and Theresa, when her vision started to blur and the world started spinning. But that was to be expected, because in the past two weeks she had lost a total of ten pounds, and little to no sleep. They had brought her to Chiron, and when he walked out of the room the look on his face was worried. "It's a mild case of anemia." He told them, "She should be fine in a few days but she'll need to rest."

That's how she ended up spending her next few days in her room, they had brought her there, and she was told to rest up like Chiron had told her to. So she spent her days, two days had passed since then, laying in bed talking to Annette, after Christmas she had gotten her laptop back. She had explained how the nightmares had been getting worse; she had explained that they had changed from memories of her past to things like her friends still burning corpses laying in front of her, and how she still continuously explained how it was an accident. Annette had told her that they were just dreams, and that she wouldn't hurt them, but even then she worried.

It was late now; the others had gone to bed. But Lena was still awake; trying to fight off the sleep that she knew would be trying to take her soon. She wanted to make sure the others were asleep before she turned on her laptop again, so that they wouldn't walk in on her talking to Annette and not sleeping, like she was supposed to be doing. But her eyes were already closing and she could feel herself falling into the darkness called sleep.

She was looking at a graveyard; she held flowers in one hand and a smaller hand in the other. She looked down at the person who the hand belonged to, it was that boy! The boy who called her mom, the boy from her dreams! He led the way through the graveyard, past the older grave markers to the newer ones in the back. There were seven well maintained ones, it was clear that these were the newest. She looked at the dates first, and she noticed how they had all died the same day. She looked up at the names; the first said 'Jay', the second said 'Theresa'.

"No." She whispered, as she looked at the third which said 'Atlanta'; then the fourth which said, 'Archie'. "Why did you bring me here?" She asked the boy, as she looked at fifth and sixth, 'Odie' and 'Neil'. She finally looked at the last one although she already knew which name would be on it, 'Herry'.

"How could you?" The boy asked as he stood in front of her. "How could you do this to us?" He asked again as she looked down at his face, which was covered in burn marks. "How could you betray us like this, mom?"

It was the last straw; she started screaming and didn't stop.

Lena was still screaming as her eyes snapped opened, and she saw the ring of fire that was floating above her expand and head into Atlanta's and Theresa's rooms. She knew from past experience that would continue to expand until it hit every room on the top floor. Before she knew what was happening she was backed onto the corner of her bed and she had a barrier up before her door opened.

Atlanta had woken up when she heard Lena screaming, she then smelt smoke. Her eyes began searching for the cause; she noticed that one of her posters was on fire. She jumped out of bed and used her blanket to put it out. When it was successfully out, that was when she went into the hallway, where Jay and the others were waiting except Neil who was still snoring away soundly.

"Where's Lena?" Herry asked.

"She was screaming a couple of minutes ago." Atlanta told them.

They looked around at each other, when Odie came up the stairs out of breath. "I know what's wrong with Lena."

"Explain it later for now we need to see if she's alright." Jay told him as he opened her door. Lena sat on her bed with her knees up, and she was rocking back and forth. "Lena?"


	14. Breakdown

(A/N: Chapter 12! YAY! This chapter had less of the crazy impact I wanted. It made me slightly sad, but I do like the way it turned out it and fits in better than Lena going completely crazy. So enjoy!)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans belong to its legal owners.

Chapter 12: Breakdown.

"Lena?" Jay called as he walked into her room. He flicked on the light, but the light bulb shattered. The room was charged with an energy that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"Jay, wait." Theresa told him, "Something's not right; this room is magically charged we don't know what'll happen."

"Do you sense something?" He asked his eyes still on Lena.

Theresa closed her eyes and concentrated, "It's muddled but…I'm getting an overwhelming feeling of fear. She's afraid."

Jay began walking towards Lena. "Everything's alright, don't worry. We're right here, there's no need to be afraid."

_"__What does he know?__"_Lena's step father's voice asked her. _"__You are a curse upon the people near you. First it was your mother, then your father and sister. Who next? Will it be one of these kids, one of your friends? It won__'__t be long until you do, monster, and you know that.__"_

Lena looked at Jay panicked, and suddenly the first barrier she placed up didn't seem like a strong enough protection between them. She added a second and third layer, putting Jay standing in front of the third. "Don't come any closer!" She looked at him with concern, and warned him again, "Please don't come any closer. I'm fine, so don't worry, just please don't come any closer."

"Alright. Come join us downstairs when you're ready." Jay told her, as he backed out of the room and closed the door. "So who's going to watch over her while the others talk?"

Archie sighed, "I will."

"Listen through her door closely, and make sure she doesn't do something stupid." Jay warned him, as the others began to gather in the kitchen.

"Alright." Archie nodded.

Jay headed downstairs where Odie was waiting for him before starting. "So what's wrong with her?"

Odie looked at them, "When she fainted two days ago I decided to delve deeper into her past. Okay so what we all know is that she was issued into the hospital for trying to take her own life two weeks after Christmas right? But what we didn't know is that two weeks before Christmas, she had gone for a physical. One month before she was issued into the hospital she weighed 120 pounds, but when they weighed her when she was brought in she was roughly 90 pounds. She lost 30 pounds in the two weeks after what happened with her stepfather. They found out that due to post traumatic stress disorder that she was bulimic, in a sense; she wasn't able to keep anything down. To put it bluntly her body was rejecting her, whether she wanted it to or not. I believe that's exactly what happening now."

"And we're just realizing this now?" Atlanta asked.

He frowned, "She was probably using magic to hide her appearance, a type of magic called Glamour; she used it on you during the Christmas party."

"What about nightmares?" Herry asked suddenly.

They all looked at him clearly confused, "What about nightmares?" Odie asked.

"Two weeks ago she explained to me that she produces fireballs while having nightmares." He looked at them desperately.

"Which is probably what happened tonight…" Jay said. "But…Does she have the power to do something like that?"

"During times of great distress powers can be heightened to that level. So yes, if she was able to access her core energy." Theresa told him, that's when they heard a scream.

Archie burst into Neil's room first, "What's wrong, Neil?"

Neil's face was buried into his bed; his sobs were drowned out by the mattress. "My portrait! It's ruined!" He pointed at the now charcoal black stained portrait.

"Really? I think it looks better that way." Archie turned to see the others come up the stairs. "Don't worry it was just Neil."

"Wait…" Theresa paused, "If we're all here, who's guarding Lena?" It took no more than a minute to get her door open, but it was too late, she was gone.

Lena had started her escape plan the moment Jay closed the door. It started with a quick note to Annette, then she got ready and then she waited for the opportune moment. That's when she heard it, the scream coming from Neil's room. That was moment she escaped through her window, and now she was walking through the city unsure of what to do. She couldn't go off very far because despite how she felt they still had a prophecy to fulfill.

She found herself standing in front of the back doors of the school. 'How did I end up here? Did I end up back tracking somewhere?' She wondered aimlessly. 'Maybe Hera will know what to do…maybe she could seal away this cursed power.' "Then I wouldn't be able to hurt the others." She touched the door handle and pleaded that her over heated touch didn't melt it. She was instantly grateful that it didn't and that the door wasn't locked.

Jay called Odie, "Odie any sign of her?" They had gone searching for Lena the moment she went missing.

"Not yet, but we will find her." Odie told him confidently.

"How's Herry doing?" Jay asked.

Odie sighed, "Good considering."

"Okay, Theresa, Neil and I are heading to the school to check if she's been there." Jay told him.

"Alright. Be careful, we're not at full strength without Lena, and Cronus might use that against us." Odie warned him.

"Right, you guys be careful too." He hung up and looked at Theresa and Neil. "Let's get to the school, with any luck she might have gone there."

Lena sat in front of Hera inside her study, "What is it, Lena? It must be something important if you're here this late. Is it Cronus?"

"It's not that, Hera…I was wondering if you could seal away my powers. They're dangerous, even more so when I have access to them." Lena looked down at her hands, clenching them together.

"But, Lena, you powers are part of you. You wouldn't be complete without them, and your friends depend on them." She frowned.

Lena looked at the Goddess and then back down at her hands. That's when the idea hit her, it wasn't her powers that were dangerous; it was her state of mind that made them dangerous, and what put her in this dangerous state of mind was her memories. She looked up at Hera, "Then please seal away my memories!"

Hera looked at the girl, she seemed determined. "If I did that…you would have no memories of the past two years, meaning you would have no memories of the others. You would have no memories of Herry."

Lena could feel her eyes go wide, and her hands clenched tighter together. "If it means they don't get hurt later on, then it doesn't matter."

Hera sighed, "Perhaps you should think this through more. You haven't been sleeping and you're not thinking clearly."

"I understand, thank you." She stood, bowed and then left.

Jay turned his back to where Theresa and Neil were sitting; as they watched the candles flicker. He called Odie, "Did you find her?" Odie asked desperately.

"Yes and no. Grab Archie and Atlanta, then meet us at the school."

He heard the sounds of tires screeching and Odie screamed, "What are you doing Herry? We'll call you back when we pick up the other two." Odie hung up.

"Just hurry." He pleaded to the empty PMR screen.

"Jay?" Theresa asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

He looked at her, his eyes pleading her own for some answer, "Why didn't we notice? How did we let it get this far?"

"She didn't want us to worry; there was nothing we could have done." She took his face in her hands.

"We could have been there for her, we could have noticed earlier."

"We were there for her, and we didn't notice because she didn't want us to." Rhiannon came up to them and made a noise. "See the dragon agrees with me."

"Alright, I give up." He admitted with a vague smile.

Atlanta ran into the room, "You found her?"

He sighed, "Take a look for yourself." He stepped aside to show the candles that rested in a circle around a sleeping Lena, who was curled into a ball.

"So she's alright?" Atlanta looked at Jay with concern.

He frowned, "Physically yes, but it seems she's somehow put herself in a magically induced coma…"

"Can't we try to wake her up?" Atlanta asked.

"Well about that…" They watched as Rhiannon moved to the circle of candles and curled her body around an invisible presence that seemed to be there. "We can't there's a barrier around her. We're not sure how or why though, it just kind of happened."

"Then what do we do now?" Archie asked, from the doorway.

Hera walked up to the group, "You kids are to go back to the dorm, Lena will be safe here tonight, and you will be safe at the dorm. We'll think of what to do tomorrow."

"But Hera!" Jay looked at his mentor with wide eyes.

She looked at him and frowned, "There are no buts about it you are to return to the dorm."

"Yes, Hera." He said with a sigh.

The next morning.

Athena looked at the group sitting at the table, "You kids…are really out of it today."

"So tired…" Atlanta's head met the table with a thud.

Odie walked up the stairs and into the kitchen sluggishly, "Quick…someone…grab the energy drinks…"

"Those things will kill you." Athena told him.

"I don't what you guys are so tired for, I sleep just fine last night." Neil told them.

Jay looked at him, "Only you would be able to sleep through a crisis."

"Yeah, I know. It's cause I'm awesome like that." He said as he checked himself out in his mirror.

"Where's Herry?" Theresa asked, she was biting her lower lip hoping the pain would keep her awake.

Herry walked down the stairs, with his teddy bear in his arms. They watched as he sat down at the table and put the teddy bear on top of the table, and then used it as a pillow. Archie looked at him and muttered, "Well I think we have a winner for who slept the least last night."

They ate their breakfast in silence, but their eyes kept wandering to where Lena usually sat. Jay looked at his plate, the pancakes sitting there only reminded him of that morning when two weeks ago when this all seemed to have started. Archie found himself holding an apple, thinking about how it was Lena's favorite morning projectile. Everyone jumped when Jay's hands met the table with a loud smack. "That's it! We aren't complete without her and I have no intentions of sitting around waiting for Hera to give us the okay for us to help her! Who's with me?"

"I was hoping you'd say that." Herry said with a smirk.

Archie looked up, "Let's do it."

Atlanta smiled, "Agreed."

"We're right behind you Jay." Theresa told him.

"Of course you're going to need me for this." Neil said.

"What do you want us to do?" Odie asked.

Jay looked at the group, and grinned. "Herry, Neil, Archie and I will go to the school, while you, Theresa and Atlanta check out her room, see if you can find anything helpful."

"Do I want to know why I'm teaming up with the girls? I could be more helpful to you than them" Odie asked while raising an eyebrow.

"She has a computer, check it out."

"But you're all going to finish your breakfast first right?" Athena asked although her tone left no room for argument.

"Yes…" The group said with a sigh.

Theresa was looking through Lena's closet, "I feel kind of bad looking through her stuff like this."

"At least you can do something, I cannot figure out her computer password." Odie's head hit Lena's desk loudly.

Atlanta stood beside Lena's bed, looking at the poster that was on the wall beside it, "This is a creepy poster do you think we could take it down?"

Theresa looked over at the poster, "Wow…she has bad tastes."

"Who's Lena's 'important person'?" Odie asked them.

Theresa and Atlanta shared a look, and then said, "Annette, obviously."

Odie typed it in, "Ah ha! Now we're in business." He watched as the screen was spammed with notifications and applications. A call from Lena's important person happened shortly after the applications finished loading. "What do I do? Do I answer it? Should I just leave it?" He was clearly flustered.

"Answer it!" Theresa told him.

He answered the call, and Annette's voice came through the speakers. "You finally logged on! What were you thinking leaving me a message like that then logging off? What the hell, man?"

Odie spoke, "Um…we're sorry but Lena's not here right now…in fact we're currently trying to figure out what's wrong with her…"

"What? What do you mean? What happened?" Her voice was panicked.

Theresa spoke, "Don't panic. It's just that she's…gone into a magically induced coma." She bit her lip hoping that she didn't tell Annette something she didn't already know.

"I see…" Annette sounded bored. "So she went through with it, then? There was a spell in her book, it said something about soul searching, and going into a coma like state. But there was a problem with it…when it came to Lena…" She paused.

"Problem?" Odie asked.

"Her memories…they're probably trapping her in that state. Lena has never really looked back and thought about her past…because of people always getting hurt around her. So she was never really able to overcome those problems, and things just got worse for her after Raphael came into their lives. We were actually intending to take in Lena when she turned sixteen but then that happened…and then when she appeared the night she ran away…it was short, and she was gone by the morning." She explained.

"So she's trapped in her memories?" Theresa asked.

"Probably." Annette sighed, and desperation filled her voice. "But please help her!"

"We were intending to do that all along." Odie told her. "Don't worry we'll bring your cousin back to you, I promise."

"Thank you…" Annette told them sincerely, "I'll let you get back to work." She cut the call.

"We should tell Jay what's happening." Theresa said.

"Can we take down this poster first? Because it is seriously creeping me out." Atlanta asked.

"Forget the poster for now." Odie told her, "Look for clues."

"Ah. I found a notebook." Atlanta picked it up. "December 18th: 115 pounds. December 19th: 114.5 pounds. December 25th: 110 pounds. The most recent entry is the December 30th: 103 pounds. That was four days ago, seems like your theory was correct." She waved the notebook at Odie.

"Of course it was." He continued to skim through Lena's computer with a sigh.

Jay, Archie and Herry were skimming through books from the school library. "I've got nothing." Jay told them.

"Me either." Archie said with a sigh.

"Neil quit looking at yourself, and help out." Herry told him.

Neil continued, "But I look amazing, how could I not look at myself?"

Jay's PMR went off, and he answered. "Jay here."

"We've figured what's wrong with a little help; we'll be at the school shortly, so meet us by Lena." Odie told him.

"A little help?" He asked.

Odie sighed, "It turns out that Annette knows more than Lena has ever let on."

"I see…" They walked into the room where Lena slept. "Okay…what's going on?" He stood blinking at the floating figures around Lena's barrier.

"I see you've met our guests." Apollo told them.

Jay shook his head, "It's the lack of sleep…I do not see any ghosts."

"No they're there, sorry to tell you Jay." Archie patted him on the back.

Theresa walked in with Odie and Atlanta, "Woah! Who're the ghosts?" She asked.

Jay looked back up at the floating figures, "This is bringing up bad memories of that time I almost died of chimera poisoning."

"Speaking of that, why haven't they been taken off by Atropos?" Odie asked.

"They were…they just didn't stay in Hades for long it seems." Hera told them with a sigh. "Meet Richard, Rayne and Karen Rose. It seems whatever spell Lena cast, it separated them from her body."

"That's Lena's family?" Herry asked slightly in awe.

Odie sighed, "Let's worry about them later. I said we figured what was going on and we did. It seems one of Lena's spells backfired on her and now she's trapped in her own memories."

"Hera, do you know anything that could help her out right now?" Atlanta asked.

"I don't, but I know of who might be able to help." She told them.

"Who?" Herry asked, suddenly relieved that there might be a way to help her.

"Mnemosyne."

Jay looked confused, "How will the mother of the Muses be able to help."

Hera looked at him with a raise eyebrow, "You of all people should know she is more than just the mother of the Muses, she is also the Goddess of memories. But finding her will mean having to go to Hades."


	15. Trip to Hades

(A/N: YAY new chapter! This chapter wasn't actually part of the original design but I thought I'd throw it in there because I love their adventures in Hades. So enjoy. =D )

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans belongs to it's legal owners.

Chapter 13: Trip to Hades

"That'll be a dangerous journey." An unknown male voice was heard. "Across the River Lethe, then through the Cave of Hypnos."

Their heads whipped in the direction of the three floating figures which had now taken shape. Two women, one clearly younger than the other, and a man stood there. "You guys see that, right?" Atlanta asked.

"Spirits aren't supposed to interfere with the living, but these three seem to be determined on doing just that." Hera told them.

"Well what are we supposed to do? She's useless on her own." The younger female spirit sighed. "Messing up a simple spell like that."

"Karen!" The other two scolded her.

"She's not useless!" Herry exclaimed. "And we'll prove it to you, we'll go to Hades, we'll find Mnemosyne, and we'll prove it to you that she is not useless."

"Well this sounds like a challenge," Karen smirked, "However, if you can't prove to me that she is in fact useful by the time you eight defeat Cronus, you have to switch places with me. Meaning I go free in the world of the living and you stay in Hades."

"Deal." He nodded.

"Herry?" The others looked at him.

Herry's head met one of the tables in the library, "Why did I agree to that?"

"Well at least you have until we defeat Cronus…which we still have no idea when that'll happen." Jay said looking at the brighter sides of things.

"Found it!" Odie told them. "I found the location of Mnemosyne's spring. Zeus said she'd be there. Now all we've got to is get there."

"Print off that map Odie, we'll get ready." Jay told him. "And this time let's try not to get thrown into the river."

"Let's pack some umbrellas, just in case." Odie told him.

Theresa yawned, "That'd probably be for the best."

Neil looked at the others, "Are you guys going to be alright? Hypnos's poppy field is enough put people to sleep, and with the way you guys are we might not all make it back."

Atlanta clapped his back as she walked passed him, "That's why we have you, with a little bit of luck we'll be fine."

Cronus' Lair:

"Hmmm? What's this?" Cronus said as he looked into his pool, "Where's the eighth? This is it! This is the chance I've been waiting for! Agnon! We're leaving!" The giant simply looked at him confused, as they walked through one of Cronus' portals.

Hades: Charon's Boat

"Just remember guys, do not touch the water. Just one drop can make you forget everything." Odie reminded them.

"As long as all of us don't forget it should be fine." Jay told him. "I'm more worried about Cronus showing up."

"That would be a problem." Theresa said as she watched for the approach of the shore. Her fingers unconsciously played with the necklace Lena had given her awhile back.

_"__If something ever happens; this will protect you.__"_ Lena had told her when she received it.

"That's weird…" Atlanta looked at Theresa, "When did you get that? I've never seen you wear it before."

"This? Lena gave it to me, awhile ago." Theresa shrugged, 'Did you know that this would happen?' She wondered as she spotted the fields of poppies. "We're almost there."

The smell of the poppies was almost hypnotic; it attempted to lull the heroes into sleep. "Maybe we should have thought this through more thoroughly." Archie said with a large yawn. "Like taking a nap before we left."

"Let's just keep moving," Jay told him. "We need to make it through that cave before one of us passes out."

Odie lit a Promethean glow stick as they entered the cave; he was looking at the ground trying not to let his claustrophobia get the upper hand on him. His thoughts drifted to a time when Cronus had trapped him and Lena in a cave when they had gotten separated from the others.

_He was beginning to __panic; the walls were beginning to close in on him. __"__Stay calm.__"__ He told himself quietly._

_"__There__'__s a passageway leading down that way, it might be a way out.__"__ She looked at him, __"__Odie?__"__ Her hands met his face, forcing him to look at her. __"__Don__'__t panic, we__'__ll find our way out of here.__"__ Her hands were shaking. _

_"__But Lena__…"__ His voice was no more than a whisper._

_She pulled the ribbon out of her hair, and told him, __"__Take off your glasses.__"__ He did as she told him, and she tied the ribbon over his eyes._

_"__But I won__'__t be able to see like this.__"_

_"__That__'__s the point.__"__ He felt her hand take his. __"__I__'__ll be your eyes, I__'__ll protect us, and I__'__ll make sure we make it back to the others.__"_

_They began walking, __"__Could you make me look any less masculine?__"__ He asked._

_"__Well__…__I could tie other ribbons in your hair when we get back to the dorm, and take pictures of it.__"__ Her voice was shaking slightly. __"__But you know Odie__…__I__'__m glad you__'__re here with me, I wouldn__'__t be able to do this by myself.__"__ Her hand gripped his tighter._

If he had been a little more honest in that cave, it might have been his hand that she'd hold when she was scared. It might have been his name she'd call sweetly. It might have been his lips she'd kiss tenderly. 'What am I thinking? She's dating your best friend!' He scolded himself.

"What's wrong?" Herry's voice brought him out his thoughts.

"It's nothing; I was just thinking that's all." He shrugged.

"I see the exit!" Atlanta called from her position in the front.

Odie let out a sigh of relief, "Thank the Gods."

"Agreed, let's get out of here." Jay said.

They began to run to the exit, only to stop when they saw who was waiting for them. Cronus. "Get out of the way, Cronus." Jay told him.

"Well it's nice to see you too, Jay." He crossed his arms. "It seems that you're one short today, what happened to Lena? Well whatever happened; remind me to thank her after you I finish of you seven. Oh wait, you won't be able to…you'll be dead."

"Like we'll ever be defeated by the likes of you." Archie told him, his whip was already out.

Cronus raised an eyebrow, "Oh, is that so?" He snapped his fingers and his group of giants appeared. The giants began surrounding the young heroes, while Cronus continued talking. "Because if I remember correctly the prophesy said that eight heroes would beat me, but I only see seven of you here."

"Whether she's here or not, we will not lose today." Theresa told him.

The giants attacked, Jay ended up back to back with Theresa. "Archie was right…we should have taken a nap before we left."

"You're giving up? That's not like you." She told him.

"It's not that, it's just that…if we don't make it out of this. I want you to know, that I…umm…well…love you…and I'm sorry that we didn't go out on more dates." Blush tinted his face.

She kissed him on the cheek, "When we get out of this mess, remind me to kick Lena's ass, and then let's go see a movie."

"What are you two doing?" Archie asked. "Quit talking, and help us out here!" His whip hit another one of the giants.

Things were finally starting to look up when they finally got the giants tied up; at least they were until Cronus started to move. Normally he'd just watch the battle and disappear through a portal when his minions were dealt with. But this time they were weak, and exhausted. "Looks like this is it Jay, it's been fun."

Archie laughed half heartedly, "I could really use one of Lena's stupid quotes right about now."

"We can't just give up like this, we're almost there." Odie told them. "It can't end like this!"

"Who said we're giving up?" Herry asked, while wiping away the blood at the corner of his mouth. "We can't give up, Lena needs us."

"How touching…" Cronus told them, as he attacked Jay.

Theresa got thrown back when she went to attack Cronus, "We can't do this without her…we need her…Why did she have to do this now? LENA!" She called out Lena's name, hoping it would reach the ears of the sleeping girl they left in the mortal world.

Gods' Domain: Field area

Lena rolled over, the first movement she had done since she put herself in this state. The others needed her, but in her current condition she would have been useless to them anyways. She had seen images of what was happening in Hades, but what she mostly saw was their battle with Cronus. The necklace she had given Theresa was magically charged, in case anything like this ever happened.

_"__We can__'__t do this without her.__"_Theresa had said.

'Don't give up.' Lena thought.

_"__We need her.__"_

'You guy's are strong enough without me, what's wrong with you?'

_"__Why did she have to do this now?__"_

'I'm sorry.' She didn't notice the magic that was beginning to build up around her.

_"__LENA!__"_Theresa had called her name loud enough that it reverberated through the sleeping girl.

'I've got to help them.'

_"__How?__"_ One of the voices in her head asked, _"__The spell isn__'__t complete yet__…__and you are in no condition to go anywhere.__"_

'I don't know how, but I need to help them.' Her eyes snapped open and the magic that had built up exploded.

Hera ran into the room the moment she felt Lena's magic start to build up. "What's happening?" She watched as Lena's eyes snapped open, the bright orange was shocking against her pale skin. She held her ground as she felt the wave of Lena's power wash over her. "Lena?" Had she woken up on her own? No. That wasn't right; her eyes didn't have any life to them. She then watched as her eyes closed again, it was clear that whatever she had to do was done.

Hades: Outside the Cave of Hypnos

Everyone had looked at Theresa when she shouted Lena's name. Theresa took in a gasp of air when she felt the necklace she was wearing heat up. She felt the magic as it exploded outwards; it wasn't painful, it was warm and gentle, but it was bright like a star.

"What's this light?" Cronus said as he covered his eyes. When he was able to see again, he saw that the heroes' wounds were healed, and they were no longer exhausted. "It seems that mage of yours still has some secret abilities left." He grabbed the giants and fled through one of his portals.

"What was that?" Jay asked. "And why couldn't it have happened earlier?"

"That was Lena, and it probably didn't happen earlier because she didn't know how to do it." Theresa said with a smile, but they watched as her necklace turned to ash.

"Looks like it was a onetime deal, though." Neil shrugged, as he began fixing his hair.

"Let's hope we don't need it a second time," Jay told them. "Come on, let's get going."

"So Jay confessed his undying love today." Archie told Atlanta.

Atlanta smiled, "During the middle of a battle too."

Jay's face went red, as he listened to Archie and Atlanta. "Will you two please shut up?"

"Hey do you guys hear that?" Theresa asked, sidetracking the conversation.

They listened quietly, "It sounds like dripping water…" Atlanta stated, "It's coming from that way." She pointed.

"You sure?" Jay asked.

"Positive, it's coming from over there." She began to head in the direction of the dripping sound.

As the sound got louder they began to run faster stopping only when they saw a fountain. "Mnemosyne's fountain…" Odie said awe.

'We're coming Lena, just hold on a bit longer.' Herry thought and then asked. "Leader first?"

"Alright." Jay said as he took the first step on the stone that surrounded the fountain. "Um…Hello?"

A woman lounged on the side of the fountain, her hand playing in the water. Her luscious brown hair fell in waves behind her, she looked at him her green eyes seemed bored. "How may I help you?"

"We're looking for the Goddess Mnemosyne…we're hoping she could help us with something." He said.

"I am she." She blinked and stood, "Now I know why you look so familiar, you're the children who are supposed to defeat my brother, but there are only seven of you here, why? Where is the eighth?"

"That's why we're here…It seems she's gotten herself trapped in her memories. We were thinking, well since you're the Goddess of memory, that you might be able to help her." He admitted.

"I see…I warned him that this would happen, but I guess he didn't listen."

"Him?"

"Zeus. He had said that he'd stop it from happening but whatever plan he thought of didn't work. Well then, let's not waste time here, form a chain then take my hands."

Gods' Domain: Field area

Rhiannon looked up from her spot against Lena's barrier, and sniffed. A strange energy was approaching, and it brought a low growl to her throat. "Rhiannon?" Hera asked. She watched as the dragon got up, and began pacing the room. She stopped when a puff of smoke appeared in the room.

"I'm slightly dizzy…man it's impossible to get used to teleporting." Odie said.

Hera looked at the group, "You made it back!"

"Of course we did, you weren't starting to worry were you Hera?" Jay asked.

"So this is her?" Mnemosyne asked, as she knelt down beside the barrier. "You said she's trapped herself in her memories? Yes I could believe that."

"Do you know what we should do?" Herry asked.

She turned and looked at him, "The solution is simple, someone needs to go into her mind and break her out of the spell by force; a simple mind link should be able to do the trick."

"So who's going?" Archie asked.

Theresa sighed, "I'll go."

Mnemosyne looked at the girl and frowned, "Your sixth sense…it might make making the link easier…but it also might make things worse. During a mind link, your minds meld together meaning your powers would also mix into one, it might become too much for the both of you."

"What's the worst case scenario?" Theresa asked.

"You die." The Goddess told her bluntly.

Jay grabbed Theresa's hand, "It's too dangerous, let one of us do it!"

"Why can't I try?" She asked. "I could bring her back!"

He looked at her his eyes boring into hers, "Because if anything happened to you, I'm not sure what I would do with myself. I can't afford to lose you."

Herry raised an eyebrow, "Then why don't I go, I mean it makes the most sense. I am her boyfriend…" Rhiannon let out a low growl, and he knelt in front of her. "I'll bring her back no matter what." The dragon turned her back to him and went off to sulk in a corner. "Ha ha, she still does not like me at all."

Theresa and Jay looked at him, "Well I suppose that works." They both shrugged.

"There's just one problem with this though…" Odie gestured to the barrier.

Mnemosyne smiled, "If Hera's willing to help me with this…then it'll be no problem." The two linked hands and their magic charged the room. After a few moments, they heard the barrier crack, and then watched as it shattered.

"What do I do?" Herry asked.

"Lie down outside the candles and close your eyes." Mnemosyne told him. "I'll do the rest."

He did as he told, but only his hand reached through the candles and took Lena's hand in his. "I will get you out of this, I promise." He whispered, as he closed his eyes.


	16. No Longer Alone

(A/N: YAY CHAPTER FOURTEEN! LAST CHAPTER OF THE ANSGT ARK YAY! BTW: I may have gone too far with the cheesy fluff but enjoy anyways! =D)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titan's belongs to it's legal owners.

Chapter 14: No Longer Alone

Herry's eyes opened, and he looked around, but saw only black. "Lena?" He called into the empty space around him. There was no response, but he tried again. "Lena!" He looked around again hoping to see something, anything. That's when he saw it; a faint shimmer of light. "Where there's light, there should be people." He wasn't sure what to expect, but that didn't matter at that moment what mattered was that he got to Lena.

He heard the sounds of voices before reaching that shimmer of light, but they were muffled, all he could catch were words that didn't hold much meaning by themselves, so he called out for Lena once again. The shimmer then expanded and he had to close his eyes to fend off the brightness of it. When he opened them again he saw ruined and burnt down buildings.

He heard the voices more clearly now. An elderly woman's voice was the first one he heard, "Why did you have to be born? Rayne would still be alive if you weren't!"

"Rayne?" Herry asked to nobody, though his voice seemed to echo in throughout the destruction. "Lena's mom?" He began to head to where he heard the voice, but no matter how hard he looked he couldn't seem to pinpoint its location.

His head whipped to the side because he heard another female voice, "First Rayne, now Richard and Karen! Why do you have destroy everything?" He headed in the direction of that voice.

In the same direction he heard another voice, "You're a plague to everyone around you! You're a monster!"

The voices seemed to disappear, and a new one was heard. "How could he have let this happen? This is all you're fault if you hadn't attended that stupid contest, they would still be alive!"

He stopped moving, and shook his head. 'They can't all be talking about Lena could they?' He wondered, that's when he remembered what she had told him the night he kissed her for the first one time, _"__I don__'__t want to taint him.__"_ Was that what she meant when she told him that she didn't want to taint him?

That's when he heard it, nearly silent compared to the other voices, "I'm sorry." It whispered; the sound of it sent jolts through his core, it was her voice, and he followed it.

He only stopped when the ruined buildings began turning into images, the first one showed two small hands with lithe fingers, that he knew were usually lighting small fires, throw papers off a piano and then began tearing some of them up. "If I'm cursed then it's best that-" Her voice trailed off because of a sob, the image blurred and he watched as her hands covered her eyes while she sobbed uncontrollably. He heard her voice again, "Make it stop."

He began to proceed forward once again, "Only her mind would be so confusing." He muttered.

The scenery changed again, but this time he saw a woman smiling widely next to the man who he recognized as Lena's stepfather which meant the woman standing next to him was Lena's stepmother. "Lena, this is Raphael Jackson."

"Yeah I know, he's the person who Derek's working for. It's a pleasure." But her tone was detached, and seemed bored. "But why is he here?"

"We're engaged!" Maria beamed.

"I see." She spoke again in that same detached tone.

Maria's smile faltered and she sighed, "Lena could we talk?"

"I'm busy."

"Now!" They moved to a different location.

A sigh escaped Lena's lips, "What is it?"

"Can you please try and make this work? I'm begging you."

"I'll be at Lance's place till late, don't wait up for me." She walked past her and out the front door, only stopping to hit the back of her head against it. That's when she heard voices.

"You let her just go like that?" Raphael asked.

"I have no choice in the matter, she holds the deed to the house and she can have us kicked out in a minute."

Lena muttered, "Of course that's the only reason why." The image faded and he heard that tiny whisper again, "I can't stand it anymore."

As he proceeded forward he was constantly waiting for another image to block his way. He began to look around; the buildings had clearly been broken by something. He then began wondering how long had it been since they were broken, and why hadn't any of them been repaired? That's when another image appeared in front of him.

This one took place in a hospital, with a bed in front of them. "Don't worry, Lena, things will get better." A rough male voice told her.

"How can things get better? Karen is dead, and I don't think even the greatest of healing magic can bring you out of this!" Lena's voice was heard.

A laugh was heard, "You saw through me…but you know things will get better, eventually. Promise me something, alright?" There was a nod, "Promise me that no matter how bad things get, that you will never give up; no matter what."

"I promise." She whispered.

"Good." He said with a sigh. The machines he was attached to started to beep frantically.

"Dad?"

A doctor rushed in, "Is this his daughter? Get her out of here she's in the way!"

"Dad?" She cried as she was pulled out of the room.

The images began to fade again, and Herry heard her pleading whisper. "Don't leave me alone."

He followed the voice again but only his pace quickened and his thoughts were frantic. 'You're not alone, we're right here with you. Why haven't you realized that?' He was stopped by yet another image which he now realized were her memories, and he let out a low growl; he was beginning to get frustrated.

"So that it? You won't train her?" A man asked, though it only showed his mid thigh, and the legs of a woman.

"It's not that easy Richard, she's the fire child. A harbinger of destruction; she is a curse upon those near her. You've read the books just as much as I have, and our sisters are against having her anywhere near here."

"So you'll train Karen, but not her. Nice, Anna, thanks so much for your help."

The woman took a step back, "I tried Richard, but Rayne died because of her."

"No! Rayne died to save her! Does that not mean anything to you four?"

"That is enough Richard, Anna isn't to blame here; that child is. If that monster hadn't been born…"

"Say no more. We're leaving, there's a future out there for her, and I intend make sure she lives it. Don't think I don't know what you did to her; she still has the bruises around her neck. She won't tell me who did it, but I know it was you. And remember this you touch my child again, no matter what coven law says I will kill you." The tone of his voice sent chills up Herry's spine; it was the same tone that Lena got when she went 'Dark'. Richard turned on his heel and approached the doorway. "Lena?" His tone was surprised; he hadn't known she was watching.

"Daddy?" Her tone was innocent, and Herry couldn't even tell that it was her talking.

"Don't worry about them, little flame." He picked her up, and examined her neck. "Come on lets go find you're sister, we're going on a trip."

"Where?"

"I'm not sure yet, wherever the wind takes us I guess."

Herry watched the images from the last memory disappear, and he listened in for that whisper. "I'm scared…" It said.

He followed it once again, but this time he wasn't greeted with a new memory. If he hadn't been paying attention, he would have walked right into the wall that was there. "There's a wall? Why is there a wall?" He glared at it, and called. "Damn it Lena! No matter what you put in my way, I will get to you!" He was prepared to smash it down; at least he was until he saw the doorknob. 'Where did that come from?' He wondered as he opened the door.

He looked around, and what he saw sent chills throughout his body. The graveyard was tinged grey; the tombstones were being taken over by the vines and weeds. He walked down the pathway, hoping to find out some sort of hint of where Lena was. He noticed that the plant growth started to thin out about half way through. The grass began to look as if it had been lit on fire, which probably meant that he was getting close, or at least that's what he hoped it meant.

He stopped when he reached the final row of graves, there were seven of them. He skimmed over the names quickly, but then slowed once he noticed what they had truly said. 'Jay and Theresa.' Then 'Archie and Atlanta.' Followed by 'Odie and Neil' and then lastly his name.

He turned when he heard whispers but saw nothing, "Look at this, she can't do anything right. She killed them."

"I heard that they were burnt so bad that the faces weren't even identifiable, we tried to warn him but did he listen…of course not. Our brother was a fool."

"She wouldn't do this! She couldn't do this!" Herry called out to the empty graveyard. "She could never hurt another human being! What happened with Derek, Raphael, and Daryl wasn't her fault! It was in self defense, we all saw that!"

A rush of warm air hit him, and the graves disappeared. But what replaced them was a little more disturbing, Lena was chained up to a cross, leaving her very little room to move or anything else. "Save me…" It was whispered so quietly that he wasn't sure she had even said it.

"I will, I swore that I'd protect you, even if it meant protecting you from yourself." He approached the cross and pulled on one of the chains, breaking it. He continued this until he broke the last chain and she fell into his arms. Her body was limp, and he listened for her heartbeat. It was weak, and he could barely tell she was breathing.

The Gods domain: the field

Everyone was tired, but they waited nervously. "This is taking too long." Jay whispered.

"Let's trust Herry, he's probably waking her up this very minute." Theresa's hand clenched his harder, giving away that she wasn't so sure.

"It's hard waiting, when you're not sure what could happen." Archie said, as he walked in with the coffee they had asked for. "I brought doughnuts too. Anything new happen?"

"Nothing. It's like they're sleeping, but it feels wrong." Atlanta told him, as he wrapped his arms around her.

Odie looked at Neil, "How can he sleep at a time like this?" His snores filled the room.

They all looked at each other and broke out in laughter. The stress had gotten to them, and they had snapped. Jay wiped a tear from his eye, "One good thing about Neil's snoring is that it knows how to lighten the mood." But they all knew that unless Herry and Lena's eyes opened that they weren't out of the red zone just yet.

Inside the mind link:

It was like she was sleeping, but only this was worse; it made his blood run cold. "Lena?" He asked quietly. "Come on wake up…everyone's waiting for us." There was no response. He shook her lightly, hoping that she'd open her eyes. "Open your eyes, please…" Still nothing, he could feel the tears fill his eyes, and he shook his head trying to make them disappear. "It can't end like this…after all we've been through you can't just give up on us like this!" Somehow the tears that had built up escaped, despite what he had tried, he was crying.

"You're not a curse, and you're not a monster. You would never hurt another person, unless absolutely necessary and you've done so much good in the past two years, that it makes up for everything in the past. So please don't let it end like this, we need you. I need you…" He kissed her.

He pulled back when he felt her breath hitch, and her lips moved against his. She opened her eyes, the bright orange was shocking to him, but he smiled. "Hey…" She whispered.

He hugged her tightly, his hands clenched in her hair. "Thank the Gods. You finally opened your eyes."

She pulled away just enough to look at his face, and she wiped the tears that were there. "Herry? What's wrong?"

He felt a twinge of annoyance build up and all of the frustrations came rushing out, "First, you don't tell us that something's wrong. Second, you don't trust any of us. Third, you go off and put yourself in a magical coma without even leaving a note. Finally, you go and save us while we're in Hades, without even knowing how worried we are about you."

She hugged him, "I'm sorry for worrying you, but I was afraid that I might hurt you guys."

"You could never hurt someone." He whispered. He coughed then looked away. "But we should probably get out of here, please tell me you know how to break a mind link."

"It's simple, just think of yourself in your own body."

"What about you?"

"Since I'm…awake…I just have to will my body awake. I'll see you there." She smiled.

The Gods' Domain: the Field.

"Should we be starting to worry?" Archie asked.

Atlanta looked at him, "You're just starting to worry?"

"I trust Herry." He shrugged.

Jay's eyes widened as he saw Herry's body move. "Guys!"

Herry held his head, and muttered. "Man, this is worse than that time Archie spiked eggnog." He look up, "Hey guys, looks like I made it back alright."

"What about Lena?" Theresa asked.

He looked at her still sleeping form, "She said that she'd see me here soon…oh hey doughnuts, awesome." He got up and went to the box of doughnuts and grabbed one happily eating it.

Lena was conscious; or at least she thought she was. She heard voices calling her to the surface, back to the mortal world. "Lena?" An overly familiar voice called to her.

"Dad?" She asked.

"Yes, my little flame…we've been watching over you since you broke your promise to me. You swore you'd never give up no matter how bad things got, but you did."

"But that was…"

"Yes we know."

"We?"

"Me, Karen, and your mother."

"Mother?"

Lena could almost see Rayne smile, "Yes, sweetie. I'm sorry that I wasn't there to see you grow up."

"It's my fault."

"No, I wanted to have you, because you're destined to do something great. But I'm sad that we couldn't have spent more time with you."

"What?"

Her father spoke, "Lena, we have to go soon. We've confirmed what we needed to."

"No! Don't leave me alone again!" She was panicking again.

He chided her, his tone was soft. "Lena, look around you. There are people anxiously waiting for you to wake up. They went to the Spring of Mnemosyne and back for you. You haven't been alone since you came here, and your new family is waiting for you, all you have to do is open your eyes."

Lena opened her eyes and sat up. "Morning…" She looked around, and noticed everyone was staring at her with disbelief on their faces. "What?"

"'Morning' she says…" Jay shook his head.

She noticed the box of doughnuts sitting on the table, "Oh hey, doughnuts! Awesome." She got out of the circle of candles and their flames died instantly.

They got sidetracked when a puff of purple smoke appeared, and Hades stood where the cloud faded. "Alright you three, as agreed it's time for you to come back with me."

Richard, still stuck in spirit form, spoke "Lord Hades if I could ask of one more tiny favor, there's still one more thing I would like to do." Hades nodded.

Rayne's spirit stood beside Richard's. "Lena…Herry…can we borrow your body's for about a minute."

Lena, who had successfully stolen a doughnut from Herry, looked at them while she swallowed, then looked at Herry. "That was good. What do you think? It's up to you on this."

"My doughnut…" He muttered quickly, but then looked at her parents. "I'm fine with it."

The others watched in awe as the spirits of Lena's parents entered the bodies of Herry and Lena. He lifted her cheek so that she was looking at him, "Hey." He whispered, as he kissed her.

Atlanta was in awe, "Even after death, they're still so in love…" Archie looked at her and slipped his hand in hers, then gave it a little squeeze.

Lena's heart was pounding, and the feel of Herry's hand on her bare skin made her feel like her skin was on fire. She knew it had to be because of her parents, or else his kisses would have never felt so unguarded. Herry's kisses were passionate, but he avoided letting himself get carried away as if he was afraid of hurting her. But these kisses didn't have that, they were uncontrolled. When he pulled away her skin was tingling almost demanding more.

The spirits left their bodies and headed to where Hades and Karen were waiting for them, but Richard turned and smiled, "We're proud of you Lena, no matter what."

She smiled sadly, "I- Yeah." She wiped a tear from her eye, and waved as they disappeared. 'Bye bye, sis, father, and mother.'

Jay watched as Theresa approached Lena, who was trying to get another doughnut away from Herry, he watched as she took Lena's wrist and spun her around. He watched as Theresa's hand came up and met Lena's face with a loud clap. "Theresa!"

She had been angry, so she slapped Lena. "I can't believe you!"

"Wha?" Lena was dumbfounded as she held her cheek.

"Why can't you trust us? Why must you go off and do everything on your own without even the slightest warning? If something's wrong then you should tell us about it! Don't bottle everything up! That's why we're here." Her words were starting to become less angry as tears filled her eyes. "Do you have any idea how worried we were about you? But now here you are, stealing doughnuts from Herry as if nothing happened." The tears were flowing now. "I can't-" Her breath hitched and was unable to continue.

Lena looked at her, and whispered, "I'm sorry." Her arms wrapped around the taller girl as she cried.

The next afternoon

Lena came down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, covering a huge yawn. "Morning."

"You are aware that it's almost one right?" Jay looked at her, and nearly dropped his glass.

"What's with that reaction? I at least put shorts on before I came down." She looked at him confused.

Archie looked up, and dropped his fork. "What's going on-?"

"What?" She looked back and forth between them.

Jay looked at Neil, "Neil lend me your mirror."

"Why?"

"Thirty seconds." Neil gave it to him, and he showed Lena.

Lena looked at her reflection, trying to notice what was off, and then she saw what the guys were flipping out about. "Oh that…it happens…although it seems kind of permanent. I haven't woken up with them since I was a kid."

"They're orange!" Archie exclaimed.

Her now orange eyes looked at him with certain knowledge, "So how was last night?" She smirked while Archie blushed and she got herself some orange juice.

"What happened last night?" Jay asked.

"I think…I'm going to make a rule, saying that you guys need to invite the girls to your own rooms." She told them.

"Oohh." Jay said understanding the situation.

"Anyways…where are the others?"

"Living room, why?"

She looked at him and smiled, "Last night I promised Theresa that there would no more secrets, and so I think it's time for a story."

"You're not going to go comatose on us again are you?" Archie asked as he finished his food.

"No. I think I'm good, I feel refreshed for some reason."

The next day: Apollo's study.

"And what happened?" Apollo asked.

Lena looked at Rhiannon, who seemed to be listening intently, as Lena scratched behind her ears. "I told them the truth, all of it. I told them how Rayne died to bring me into this world. I told them how my aunts tried to kill me because of who I am. I told them about my father moving us, about how he met Maria and Derek. I told them about the car crash and that night in the hospital. I told them about the funeral, meeting my aunts again and about how they blamed me for their deaths. I told them about the first time I heard about Maria's remarriage, and what happened after that incident. I told them about my great escape, and how I ended up here. They all just listened quietly, and simply waited for me to finish."

"And…?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

She looked at him and grinned, "I think I want to play piano again."


	17. That One Night

(A/N: YAY I'm back no more waiting! Okay so chapter fifteen summerized in three words: attemptive fluffy smut. I thought I'd try and write smut...and I'm not sure how it turned out exactly. If you don't feel like reading it (although input would be nice) you could probably just skip onto chapter sixteen.)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans and song lyrics belong to their legal owners

Chapter 15: That One Night

She touched her swollen lips, and looked down at the sleeping form next to her. 'How did I let this happen?' She wondered aimlessly.

Earlier that day:

It was now spring and the snow had finally melted. Theresa's dad had invited them to stay at his place for the weekend. They had all agreed to go because Athena had something to do during the weekend, but Lena had decided to stay home because she claimed she was feeling sick. That's how Herry ended up watching the others pile into the taxi. "You sure you don't want to come?" Jay asked him.

"Its fine, I don't feel right about leaving Lena here alone." He admitted with a yawn.

"Alright, call if anything happens." Jay told him as he turned.

"Will do." Herry closed the door, and watched from the window as the taxi drove away. He went up the stairs, and heard the shower running in the girls' bathroom. He walked into his room and grabbed his pillow, and then headed back down the stairs. He laid down on the couch and began wondering why he was so tired recently. It was probably because Lena had begun sneaking into his room after they had allowed her parents' spirits use their bodies. She continued to do it until a couple of weeks ago when she just suddenly stopped. She produced a lot more body heat now than she did the one time he had passed out in her room. So it might have been from the lack of warmth when he went to bed, or it might have been that nagging feeling in his gut that told him that she was pulling away from him. He let out a groan, closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.

Lena came down the stairs, with a backpack on and her mini-stereo in hand. Her MP3 was blasting through her earphones. The others were gone so she didn't need to make up an excuse about where she was going. She was singing loudly when she got to the bottom of the stairs. "_When I get you all alone, I__'__m gonna take off all your clothes, ain__'__t nobody gonna interrupt my game. Oh no no~ Ever since you been-_HOLY CRAP! WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE!" She exclaimed as she pulled out the earphones and looked at the lounging figure on the couch that was looking back at her with a raised eyebrow.

Herry had heard Lena come down stairs vaguely. 'Seems like my nap will have to wait.' He sat up and stuffed the pillow behind the couch. He watched her turn the corner, and looked at her with a slight bit of surprise. Her orange tank top and jean short-shorts were something she'd never wear. But when she nearly dropped her mini-stereo which was a clear sign that she wasn't expecting anyone to be here, of course her words had made that perfectly clear. "I live here." He told her.

"I know that much, but what are you doing here today, at this very moment? You're supposed to be on a plane right now."

"So are you, but here we are."

She raised an eyebrow, "I'm sick, what's your excuse?"

"You look like your about to go out, not sick. And I'm here because I'm worried about leaving you alone for the weekend." He had caught her in a lie and she knew it. "So?"

"So I told a little white lie because I didn't to go. Is that so wrong?" She shrugged.

He crossed his arms, "It is when it gets them all worried and they come home early then find out it was a lie."

"What did you want me to tell them? That I didn't want to go because that house makes me anxious? That I would have just spent the trip brooding in my room? Or the fact that seeing Theresa and her dad makes me feel hateful and jealous?" She let out a huff. "I don't want them to see me like that."

"But you're perfectly fine with telling me this?" He asked.

She looked away, blushing now. "That's because you're you."

"So what were you planning to do today?"

"Well I have this apartment, and I've been procrastinating in cleaning it. I thought this weekend would be a perfect time to go." She admitted.

"An apartment? Why am I only hearing about this now?" He asked.

"It's not much, that and it's also not furnished…"

"I see." He said, as he tossed her a controller. "We've still got a game going on, don't think I've forgotten." With a shrug she sat down beside him, all thoughts of cleaning forgotten.

That Evening

They looked at each other as their stomachs growled. "I'm hungry." He told her.

"Go make something?" She asked.

"No you go make something." They looked at each other.

"Too lazy."

"Want to just go get a pizza?" He suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." She shrugged.

With the pizzas eaten, and a movie watched, Lena began to yawn. She looked at the clock, "When did it get so late?"

"Since when is ten thirty late?" He looked at her.

She stood and stretched, "Since I've been getting up at five to go use the school's piano before it starts."

"Do you really have to go tomorrow?" He asked.

She looked at him, "Yes, because if I miss one day it'll take me three days to get back into the habit."

He frowned, "Fine."

She began to walk out but paused at the doorway, "Hey, Herry…"

He looked up at her, "Yeah?"

"Why don't we break up?" Her hand clutched onto the wall, unable to move.

He stood, "What? Are you serious?" She nodded. "Then turn around and tell me that you want to break up." She shook her head, and he began to move closer to her. He touched a loose strand of hair, and whispered. "Then how am I supposed to know that you're serious?" He turned her around gently and looked at her. "I would never hurt you, you know that right?"

"I know that, it's just that well…I just don't think we work well as a couple." She was trying not to let her voice break.

He smirked, "You're a terrible liar. You've been pulling away from me; even today you were hesitant to let me touch you. I know you, more than you'd probably like, and I know that you're afraid of something. But I just don't know what it is yet, so tell me Lena what are you so afraid of?"

She looked away, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

His hand lifted her face so that she was looking at him, "Tell me the truth Lena, it's just the two of us here so no one else will hear. It'll be our secret."

"I…" She paused, unable to look away, unable to lie to him again. "I'm afraid, I'm afraid that if I let myself get any closer to you…that I might hurt you. I don't want that to happen, not now…not ever…"

He smiled, "I'm not afraid, you would never hurt me or anyone."

"How can you be so-" Her question was cut off by his lips meeting hers. His arms wrapped around her waist pulling her close against him. Her hands laced themselves in his hair, unwilling to let him go. That burning sensation was threatening to take her over completely but she didn't care, not while she was interlaced in his arms like this. She wanted him that much she had to admit, maybe it was something primal or maybe it was those stupid teenage hormones she had begun to hate; whatever it was it seemed to be taking over.

Her hands left his hair and began descending lower, they explored the expanse of his back; his wide shoulders, to his smooth back, to his small waist. Her hands moved in between them, and under his shirt. She lifted it up as her hands moved upwards tracing the outline of his abs. She pulled away from their kiss, and breathed "Take it off."

He pulled the shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. His lips met her neck, smothering it with kisses, earning him tiny noises from her. One particular part of her neck seemed to be extremely sensitive, so he bit it gently. She practically melted in his arms, but the grip on his shoulders tightened. He laughed, "You're surprisingly sensitive." He hitched his thumbs under her shirt and started to lift it up.

The air from the dorm was surprising cold on her heated skin and it sent chills up her spine. But it cleared her head slightly, she opened her eyes. They were still in the doorway of the living room, where anyone could walk in at any given moment. "Herry…" Her breath was already labored and she pulled back enough to look him in the eyes, "Wait…"

"Do you want to stop?" He asked.

She frantically shook her head, "It's not that, it's just that…well…we're still sort of in the living room."

He looked around, "Oh we are…whose room do you…?"

"Mine; the bed is bigger. Grab your shirt." He grabbed his shirt and carried her up the stairs and into her room. He sat down on the edge of the bed, with her on top of him. She shifted so that she was kneeling over him, her knees on either side of his legs. She pulled her shirt off and tossed it backwards. She kissed him, pushing him back so that he lay on the bed.

A surprised noise escaped his lips; he hadn't expected to find himself pinned to Lena's bed. Of course he also hadn't expected to find himself in this situation either. But he still had his trump card, and he wanted to see her writhe in front of him. His hand met the small of her back, and she melted; all of her movements stopped. She glared at him from under her bangs, but he smiled. "Can you stand?"

"Probably…why?"

"Try. I want to see something." His voice sent chills up her spine and she loved it. She stood with surprising ease, and he got her to turn around, exposing her back to him. He placed a hand on her stomach to make sure that if her legs gave out on her she wouldn't fall. He placed gentle kisses on the small of her back, making her squirm. His teeth then began grazing the sensitive skin, causing her to squeak, but the best reaction happened when he finally bit into the skin, her knees buckled and her hands grasped her desk chair for purchase, anything to keep her from falling. He told her, "Tell me if I do something you don't want me to."

"Don't…ah…say…something…like…AH~…that…when…ha~…I'm…like this." She muttered, in between moans. His free hand slid up her back and undid the clasp on her bra, but didn't take it off. His hands slid to the front of her chest, and gently brushed her breasts, testing her reaction. That little touch sent jolts throughout her body, the heat left behind made her yearn for more. She let out a low growl, "Damn it, Herry. Don't tease me!" She felt him smirk against her back, and his hands engulfed her breasts.

He began to squeeze them, massaging them while gauging her reactions. She squirmed under his grasp as he pinched her nipples, and he began placing gentle kisses on her back again. She was completely at his mercy and she was enjoying every minute of it. His touch was driving her mad, but the burning sensation was too much, it was almost suffocating her. Her eyes opened enough to see the candle sitting on her desk, she willed the wick to catch on fire, and it did which caused a chain reaction with the other candles, each and every one of them was now on burning. She let out a breath, suddenly glad to be able to breathe properly.

Herry's movements paused, and he pulled back enough to ask, "Are you all right?"

She nodded, "I'm fine, please just don't stop." His hands moved down her stomach and moved across the rim of her shorts. He undid the button and zipper and he let them fall off on their own. The black lace of her panties stood out against her pale skin. His index finger traced down the front of her panties slowly; teasing her. His finger slipped down further between her legs, leaving the cloth as the only barrier between them. She knew that the lace was wet from her own juices, and she knew that he felt it now too.

His finger slipped inside the cloth and into her already wet folds, finding the tiny little bud there. He rubbed it, while his other hand slipped a finger inside her. When she was ready, he slipped another finger inside her, moving them back and forth interchangeably. She clutched to the back of her chair harder, and her breathing was rapid. The warmth in the pit of her stomach was threatening to break; she was close, so very close. Her knees felt weak, and her thighs were trembling. "Herry…" She gasped, "Much more of this…and I won't be able too…" Her sentence was left incomplete as she let out another moan. But that's when he stopped completely, he was no longer touching her. She looked back, her eyes glaring at him. "Why'd you stop?" She demanded.

"Because I wanted to do this." He pulled her back onto him, but moved in a way so that she was laying underneath him, his eyes looked into hers. "I wanted to see your face." He told her with a kiss, as he removed her bra completely from her body.

"This isn't fair." She whispered.

"What isn't?"

"The fact that I'm going to be completely naked before you even get your shorts off."

He chuckled, and pulled off his shorts which revealed a pair of black boxers. "If you wanted them off so badly you could have taken them off yourself." He kissed her stomach and hitched his thumbs into the sides of her panties. He looked at her, waiting for her to nod, and she did. He pulled off the final piece of fabric on her body, completely exposing her to him. He gazed at her body, taking in every curve, birthmark and scar that rested there.

"Don't stare so much." She used her hands to cover up her chest, and crossed her legs. "It's embarrassing."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm short to the point that it's almost childish."

"You fit snugly into my arms this way, and you're still taller than Odie so it works."

"And my chest is small compared to Theresa's and Atlanta's."

He smirked, "Anymore than a handful is too much." To prove his point he lavished her breasts with his hands until she was writhing underneath him again. "Lena," He whispered, "You're beautiful, you're just the only person who doesn't see it." She swallowed past the lump in her throat, her heart felt like it was about burst and tears spilled out of her eyes. He looked at her with wide eyes, "Gah! Why are you crying?"

She wiped her eyes, "Why do you have to be so kind? Don't make me fall anymore in love with you than I already am!" She froze, and blushed harshly in the orange candle light.

He looked at her and blinked, "Lena…did you just say what I think you just said?"

She nodded slightly, "I love you, Herry."

He took her hand and placed it on his chest, over his heart. It sped under her touch, "Say it again."

"I love you." She marvelled as she felt his heart speed up in his chest. Her free hand laced itself into his hair, and pulled him down for a kiss. He began kissing her neck, his lips descended lower to her shoulder, then through the middle of her breasts, skipping them completely. He continued downwards, and he nipped her stomach playfully as he looked up at her. His eyes told her 'Look at me.' She watched as he continued his descent, "Ah! Herry what are you -" It was too late, he licked the already sensitive bud, while his fingers slid into her, continuing where they left off.

Her hands clutched onto the sheets, and it only took him a few minutes to have writhing underneath him again. Despite how much he had her squirming, she never took her eyes off his. That warmth that had rebuilt itself in the pit of her stomach, once again it threatened to break the dam which held it back. As if on cue his lips trapped the swollen bud, and he began to suck on it. "AH~ Herry…quit teasing me!" Her eyes closed, and her toes curled. The dam broke and she was swallowed by waves of pleasures.

When her breathing finally slowed, she opened her eyes. He looked down at her with concern on his face. "You alright?"

She smiled, "I'm good." She then rolled over, and opened the bottom drawer on her nightstand and pulled out an unopened box of condoms.

"Do I want to know?"

"We have nosy friends." She told him as she opened the box, and pulled one out.

His hand gently touched her face, "I'm not sure I can do this, at least not without hurting you."

Her forehead met his, "I trust you."

He shook his head, "It's just that I've never done this before, and I'm not sure I can control myself. Jay and Archie warned me that with my strength, I might hurt you."

'We're the same…' She wondered. 'Both so afraid of hurting each other that we've held back for so long.' She kissed him, and then smirked. "Then let me on top, I'll teach you." He swapped their positions so that she was sitting on his waist. She kissed his chest, and he let out a shuddered breath. She spoke against his skin, "We girls are delicate, that is true, but we won't break easily either." She touched his skin with feathery light strokes. She moved back so that she was sitting in between his legs, and she held up the condom. "A box of condoms will be your best friend throughout pretty much the rest of your life, always make sure you have them." She used her teeth to open the package, careful about ripping the actual condom.

He watched her in awe; her orange eyes were something feral, more primal than he had ever seen, mainly from her. But then she blinked and then the look was gone. "What's wrong?"

"When did you take off your boxers?" This small fact confused her.

"While I was waiting for you to open your eyes." He shrugged. She seemed annoyed by this fact, but got her revenge through a different method. She lightly brushed his erection, teasing him until he let out a hissed breath. "And you call me a tease." He half laughed, as she slipped the condom on him.

She held up one finger, "One rule you must always follow: enter slowly, unless they ask other wise." She told him, as she slowly lowered herself onto him. She let out a hissed breath, and his hand brushed her face.

"You alright?"

"I just need a little time to adjust." When she was ready she moved her hips up, then down. Her own rhythm was good, but it wasn't enough, she wanted more. Her fingers interlaced themselves with his, "Move with me Herry." She whispered. His upward thrust met her downward thrust, causing a new depth for her.

The two created a rhythm quickly, and after that it wasn't long until she lost the will to keep her upper body upwards. Her head rested on his shoulder, her breathing was erratic, and the only thing that was moving was her hips. Her thighs were already trembling again, and she bit her bottom lip to keep herself from crying out. She felt her inner walls clamp around him, her eyes shut tightly, and for the second time that night she was swallowed by wave after wave of pleasure.

When she opened her eyes, she was under him again. "You are far too good at this to be the innocent farm boy we thought you were."

He smiled, "I just have an amazing girlfriend to teach me." He brought their still interlaced hand to his lips.

"I love you," She whispered, and kissed him, leaving no more room for talking. She didn't want to hear him say those three words, not yet, she wasn't ready to hear them. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he slid in easily this time. Their thrusts brought his name pouring out of her mouth, but it still wasn't enough. "Herry…I need more."

"But I…"

Her hand touched his face, "You won't." He opened his mouth to protest, but she stopped him. "I trust you." He kissed her, and did as she requested. He swallowed her moans, but pulled away when he knew that she couldn't breath. He peppered her neck with kisses, and bit down on the soft tendon there causing her to arch against him. "Not where the others can see!" She scolded him.

Things were beginning to blur together, the only thing that didn't was his face. Before she knew it she was reaching her peak once again. This one threatened to be more powerful than the past two. "So close…" She whispered into his shoulder. He chuckled and his hand slid down to play with the sensitive bud that was waiting there. Her back arched under his touch, and it sent jolts throughout her body. Their lips met and their tongues danced lazily, while her hand clutched at his shoulder tightly almost drawing blood.

The orgasm hit her like a tidal wave, and it threatened to tear her apart. Pleasure was beginning to feel like pain as she was swallowed by it whole. Her eyes fluttered shut as she clutched at anything she could get her hands on while she rode it out. She vaguely heard his name escape her lips, but she heard her name escape from his lips and it sent her heart fluttering to new heights.

When she opened her eyes again, his head rested on her shoulder but their hands were no longer interlaced. She stroked his hair, "You alright?" Her voice was shaky.

He nodded, "I'll be alright. Just waiting to regain my breath."

She laughed, "Sorry…I might have been projecting a bit."

He looked at her, "You may possibly be my most dangerous foe yet."

"I could say the same thing about you."

He pulled out of her earning a whimper from her, "So…" He paused as he sat at the edge of the bed, "Where does this leave us?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because if I remember correctly you wanted to break up about…" He looked at the clock. "An hour and a half ago."

She sat up and wrapped her arms around him, "I said that because I didn't want my flame to hurt you. There's nothing scarier than knowing that you could be why someone near you dies."

His hand took hers, and held it gently. "Is that what that graveyard was?"

"Yes…" She heard rather than saw him put the condom in her garbage can, and he crawled back into bed. She curled up in his arms, and let out a pleasant sigh.

His hand stroked the back of her hair, "Are you going to be here when I wake up?"

She shrugged, "Probably not, but I'll leave breakfast in the fridge for you."

He kissed her forehead, and watched as the candles that remained lit slowly blew themselves out, a clear sign that Lena was asleep. "You're amazing, you know that?" He whispered, and for the first time in two weeks he slept peacefully.

The next morning: 5:00 am

Lena cursed her alarm clock for being charmed into turning on automatically if she forgot. She shut it off quickly and sat up, feeling her still swollen lips. She looked down at Herry's still sleeping form. 'How did I let this happen?' She wondered, as she removed his hand from where it rested on her waist. She paused and kissed his cheek lightly before whispering, "I love you."


	18. One Woman Rescue Mission

(A/N: Yay! Chapter Sixteen! I have sincerely missed posting it feels amazing. So enjoy!)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans belong to it's legal owners

Chapter 16: The One Woman Rescue Mission

It had only been a couple of weeks since they had left Lena and Herry alone. Jay walked into the living room and noticed that there were only five people sitting there, instead of the usual six. "Where's Lena? Is she still sleeping?"

They looked at him, and Theresa raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"She's going to meet with her father's lawyer; she said something about the gaining control of her estate." Herry told him.

"Wait…if she's getting her estate…then that means she's eighteen. When was her birthday?"

"Last month." They all told him.

He looked at them confused, "Was I the only one who didn't know?"

They all looked at each other and shrugged, "Probably."

Odie came up the stairs and dashed into the living room, "Odie did you know Lena's birthday was last month?" Jay asked.

"That's not important right now, turn on the news." He told them breathlessly.

"Why?" Archie asked.

Odie looked at him, "Just do it."

Archie did as he was told, and they heard a reporters voice, "Daryl Stark here with the family of the missing musical prodigy Lena Rose."

Lena walked into the Brownstone and she pulled off her shoes as she called out, "I'm back." But there was only silence although she heard the TV. "Living room, should have known." She walked to the edge of the room while she took off her bag and her jaw dropped, 'Maria?'

"We worry about her daily, and if anyone knows where she is right now please tell us." Maria told them while holding a handkerchief to her eyes.

Lena's hands clenched onto her bag strap tighter, and her eyes narrowed. 'Raphael…'

"She is also very dangerous," He rolled up his sleeve, revealing scars from the burn marks she had given him, "These were given to me by her."

But what concerned Lena the most was the young woman in the background and her suspicions were confirmed when the young woman appeared on the screen next. "And who are you?" Daryl asked.

Neil looked away from his mirror then looked at the television for just a second and then did a double take, "Who is that?"

"I'm her cousin, Annette. Lena, if you see this, we miss you please hurry up and come home."

"What is she doing there?" Lena dropped her bag.

The others jumped, "Lena? When did you get home?" Atlanta asked.

"Just in time apparently, I'll be in my room." She grabbed her bag off the floor, and headed up the stairs.

"We made her angry didn't we?" Theresa asked.

Herry looked at them, "That's not it…she's worried about her important person…"

Lena waited for her computer to load up impatiently. "Come on…come on…" 'Why was she there of all places? I told her not to go back to that place.' Her computer beeped telling her that it was done; she frantically checked her friends list. "She's not on. Damn it." Her fist slammed down on her desk, she then opened her internet browser, and began looking up flights. "The next one is a six thirty…" She looked at the clock in the corner of her laptop telling her that it was now 3:30. "I can make it, and if I'm lucky I can get a seat." Luck was in her favor today, she was able to get a seat.

"Hold on Annette, I'm coming to get you." She called for a taxi on her cell phone, not using her PMR for something like this and she started packing. "I should only be gone two days…" She looked at her door, and then sighed. "Sorry guys but this is something I need to do." She turned on her heel and headed to the window, only to look back at the door once again, but quickly jumped out before she could even let the thought of asking the others for help enter her mind.

She was glad as she snuck past the kitchen window that she had left an extra pair of shoes in her room. 'They shouldn't notice I'm gone until at least dinner. That should give me enough time to get to the airport, and hopefully on the plane.' She ran from the dorm to the school, where she had told the taxi to meet her and it was waiting for her when she arrived. She got in, "The airport please." Her thoughts began to drift to her conversation with her father's lawyer.

_She walked into the __café; her sunglasses almost glued to her face, after all what good would come from scaring the man that had taken her in after that incident. She walked over to the table where she saw him. __"__May I sit here?__"__ She asked._

_"__Sorry I__'__m waiting for__…__Lena? I didn__'__t recognize you.__"__ He looked at her and smiled. __"__You__'__ve gotten beautiful since the last time I saw you.__"_

_She sat down and chuckled, __"__That__'__s kind of creepy when you say it Uncle Albert.__"__ The man sitting before her was Albert Raregrove; he married into Rayne__'__s family through one of her sisters. __"__How__'__s Auntie?__"_

_"__She worries about you, but she__'__s fine. She actually wanted to come this weekend but this is a business trip.__"__ He told her._

_"__If you had told me, I would have actually gotten some furniture for the apartment and you could have stayed there.__"__ She smiled softly, __"__I think Herry would have liked to meet her too.__"__ Then she covered her mouth, she let the secret out._

_"__From that reaction should I assume he__'__s your boyfriend?__"__ He chuckled softly. __"__I don__'__t think our other party member is going to approve of that.__"_

_"__Other party member? I thought it was just supposed to be us today.__"_

_"__It was but he suddenly decided he was coming home for the weekend, then when he found out I was coming here he insisted on coming too. He actually just called me saying he was inside the city. But let__'__s put that aside for now isn__'__t it dark? You__'__re still wearing your sunglasses.__"_

_"__About that__…__well promise you won__'__t freak out?__"_

_"__I promise.__"__ She took off her sunglasses. __"__Ah. I see they__'__ve gone back to normal.__"_

_"__Gone back to normal?__"_

_"__I forgot, you were just a kid, you were four I think, when it happened. Lena, those were your natural eye color, but your father sealed them away so you could have a normal childhood.__"_

_"__So I could have a__…__Gods how much of the future did he see?__"__ She looked up when she heard the bell on the door ring and a man walked in. __"__Who is that? And why does he seem familiar?__"_

_The man looked around and seemed to spot who he was looking for in their direction. He approached the table, __"__Lena?__"_

_"__Do I know you?__"_

_"__Allow me to jog your memory.__"__ He got down on one knee and brought her hand to his lips. __"__I have returned Princess.__"_

_'__There__'__s only one man who has ever called me Princess__…'__ She nearly fell off her chair in realization. __"__Nate?__"_

The taxi driver's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "We're here."

"Thank you." She paid her fair and got out; she ran inside the airport and headed to get her ticket. She looked at her phone for the time and it was currently 4:15. 'I need to hurry.' She obtained her ticket and headed for customs but her thoughts were clouded of today's meeting.

_"__Nate?__"__ He stopped her from falling off her chair._

_"__Alright you two stop playing around we__'__re here on business, remember?__"__ Her uncle brought their attention back to him._

_"__Sorry, father.__"__ Nate sat down._

_Lena looked at him more seriously, Nathaniel Raregrove, her Aunt and Uncle adopted him when he was just a baby before she was born, and he was three years older than her. __"__Aren__'__t you supposed to be in England? Law students don__'__t get vacations.__"_

_"__They do when they__'__re at the top of their class.__"_

_"__Nerd.__"_

_Albert clapped his hands, __"__Alright kids, play nicely now. Work now, catch up later.__"__ He pulled out a folder from his bag. __"__I need you to sign some documents.__"_

_"__Alright.__"__ She pulled out a pen and began signing the papers._

_"__And there__'__s something else,__"__ He handed her a small key attached to a small piece of paper._

_She examined it, __"__What__'__s this for?__"_

_"__There__'s__ a storage facility in Richard__'__s home town. Everything in there he left specifically for you. You__'__ll need to go there soon, and find out what he left you.__"__ He told her, his tone was grave._

_She dropped her voice down to a whisper so that the other customers wouldn__'__t hear her, __"__I__'__m not sure if you remember or not, but I have aunts in that city that have tried to kill me, repetitively.__"__ She unconsciously rubbed her neck._

_"__That__'s__ why I don__'__t want you going alone. But because of work I can__'__t go with you.__"__ He let out a sigh._

_Nate sighed too, __"__I can__'__t go either because my flight leaves on Monday.__"_

_"__It__'__s alright, I__'__ll ask one of dorm mates to come with me, or I__'__ll go after my current project is done.__"__ She shrugged._

_"__What current project?__"__ Nate asked suspiciously._

_"__It__'__s nothing for you to worry about. How is that going by the way?__"__ Albert asked._

_She shook her head, __"__No improvements but no decrease in progress either, so pretty much we__'__re stuck.__"_

_"__I see. Well I am still wishing you luck, and you know that you can always come live with us if things become too hard.__"_

_She looked up from the papers, __"__That would be running away, and after what happened last January I promised myself and my friends that I won__'__t run away anymore.__"_

_"__What happened in January?__"__ Nate looked at back and forth between them._

_Albert chuckled, __"__You__'__ve grown up so much since the last time we saw you.__"_

"Um…Miss…Can I take your order?" The waitress asked.

"Oh! Sorry." When had she walked into a restaurant? She ordered the first thing on the menu that looked good, and then looked at her phone; the current time was 5:35. 'The others should realize that I'm gone soon.' She pulled out her PMR and shut it off, 'Sorry Jay, but it's just until I get off my plane.'

Back at the Dorm:

"Hasn't it been too quiet up there?" Atlanta asked.

Archie looked at her, "She probably has her MP3 on."

Athena walked in, "Dinner's ready."

Herry got up, "I'll go get Lena." He headed up the stairs; he knocked then opened the door. "Lena dinners ready." He looked around the darkened room, "Lena?" A paper sat on her laptop, and he read it 'I've gone to rescue the Princess.' "What is that supposed to mean?" He headed down the stairs, with a new fire in his eyes. The others watched as Herry tossed the paper onto the table. "She's gone…again."

"I've gone to rescue the Princess." Jay read aloud.

Neil looked confused, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jay and Odie looked at each other and then spoke in unison, "Annette."

"Then that means she'll be returning home…" Theresa said.

Atlanta looked at her with terror, "She swore that she'd never go back there."

"Then let's go get them back." Herry said.

"Them as in both of them?" Archie looked at him skeptically.

He shrugged, "Lena won't come back unless she's finished what she's started, and she may not be able to come back if we aren't there."

Jay sighed, "She can't have gone far, Odie track her PMR."

"Well I would…but it seems to be off…" Odie half laughed.

"Does it at least say where she last was?"

Odie sighed, "It does, but you aren't going to like it."

"Tell us."

"The airport." They all groaned in exasperation.

"She's good." Athena said. "Now all of you sit down and eat your dinner, you can't do anything if she's on a plane anyways."

"She has a point." Jay sighed with resignation.

"We could borrow some griffins form Hermes." Atlanta suggested.

"We are not borrowing griffins to chase a plane across the country and Hermes would never let us do that." Jay told her, "Her flight will probably take until the morning so let's just get ready and rest up tonight."

8 hours later: Lena

Lena stretched as she got off the plane, "Ugh I hate flying, but I slept enough to get me into the city without passing out." She looked at her phone, "Sheesh it's almost two." She slung her bag onto her shoulder tighter, and then exited the airport. 'Maybe I should call Herry…No! You'll back down if you do, and you need to be strong while you're here.' She caught a taxi and headed into the city. The taxi dropped her off at a motel near the storage facility that she needed to check out.

9 a.m.: The dorm.

"Is her PMR still off?" Jay asked.

"Well it was turned on again last night but only for a short amount of time, like she was thinking of calling someone but then changed her mind." They all looked at Herry.

"What? I didn't receive any calls at all last night." He told them.

Jay leaned against the counter, "So where was her last known location?"

"An airport in…Saskatchewan? What is she doing there?" They all looked at Herry again.

"Don't look at me! I have no idea why, it's not like she tells me anything about her past unless I ask about it."

"Looks like its back to research for us again." Archie sighed.

Outside the Storage Facility: Lena 10 a.m.

Lena touched the large metal building, and it was warm, not from the heat but from magic. Magic she assumed was placed there by her father. "Dad…" She unlocked the door and opened it. She was suddenly surprised to see how clean it was, there was no sign of dust anywhere. She then looked in front of her to see a black motorcycle waiting for her.

'_Everything in there he left specifically for you._' Her uncle had told her.

"Everything huh?" She touched the seat of the motorcycle, "How much of the future did you actually see father?" She then noticed a helmet on one of the boxes, and a note attached to the helmet. "This must have taken some serious restoration magic, for it to still be here almost six years after you've died." She pulled off the note, and read it out loud. "For when you have to save the Princess."

She let out a sigh, took the helmet and then rolled the motorcycle outside. She checked inside one more time to see if she left anything behind, when something orange caught her eye. She picked it up, "A candle?" She half laughed, "I see you want me to go there don't you?" She stuck the candle in her bag, and then locked up the storage building. "Let's see if thing still works." She stuck the helmet on, but then noticed that there was no key. "Eh?"

'_You must never leave this key behind, and you must never lose it. It__'__ll help you save the Princess one day._' Her father had warned her when he had given her a key for her eleventh birthday.

She pulled off her necklace where that very key still hung and stuck it into the ignition, to her surprise the key fit. "Sorry Annette, there's something I need to do before I come and rescue you."

New Olympia: School Library 2:30 p.m.

"Anything?" Jay asked.

Theresa nodded, "I think so." She held a giant leather bound book, "In 1680's a woman named Alexandra Weatherford brought her entire family over from England to avoid being tried as a witch. Her family consisted of one male, the father, and her six daughters. Shortly after they migrated to the western side of the country, her husband was found dead by the plague, but neither her nor her daughters seemed to show symptoms of said plague…after that she went back to using her maiden name: Rose."

Odie's PMR beeped, and he looked at it. "Did it say where they buried the husband?"

"In a forest in southern Saskatchewan…It's apparently been the family gravesite ever since then. Why?"

"Because Lena just turned on her PMR, and the GPS is telling me that she's in the middle of a forest."

"That's not creepy at all." Archie told them.

"Bring that book it might be useful." Jay told her.

Rose family grave site:

Lena watched as the orange candle burned in the middle of the lilies she had laid out on her parent's and sister's graves. "Father, mother, Karen how are you? I'm doing well; I saw Nate and Uncle yesterday. They told me about the storage facility you left me, and I need to thank you for the motorcycle it'll make saving Annette easier. It's really hard for me to be here because I'm afraid one of my Aunts will come out of the woods and finally get away with killing me today. Things have been quiet since you left to go back to Hades. Karen, I finally realized that it was you who froze Herry that one time, but you probably did it because you were afraid I'd accidentally light him on fire. I have something I have to tell you, I've started playing piano again. I had forgotten how fun it could be."

They hopped out of Herry's truck after the portal closed, and they spotted Lena's motorcycle. "Who does that belong to?" Atlanta asked.

"Be careful guys, there's a strange energy about this place." Theresa warned them.

"That might be because there is about thirteen generations worth of witches buried in this grave yard." Odie shrugged.

'This place seems familiar,' Herry wondered to himself, and then his eyes widened as he looked around more carefully, 'This is the graveyard from Lena's dream.' "Wait here."

"What do you mean?" Jay asked.

"I think I know where Lena is, but I want you guys to wait here, I'll get her."

Jay frowned, "Alright, but know that I'm only letting you do this once."

"I know." Herry smiled, and then he headed down the middle pathway, 'Yes this is the place from her nightmare. There's no doubting that now.' When he got closer to the end of the pathway he heard her voice.

"I'm about to do something dangerous, even more dangerous than fighting Cronus. Despite how hard he tries Cronus can never affect my mind, but that house can. That house and the people living in it can ruin me completely." She told the graves.

Herry walked up and knelt beside her; taking her hand, "Richard, Rayne, Karen, please don't worry about her too much. We'll be right beside her when she does dangerous stuff like this, and we'll scold her when she decides to go off on her own. But we'll watch over her for you, and I'll keep her safe even if it means keeping her safe from herself."


	19. Enter the Rescue Squad

(A/N: Yay! Three chapters in one day! Chapter seventeen is now out and possibly ready to be read. Yay!)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titan's belongs to it's legal owners.

Chapter 17: Enter the Rescue Squad

"Herry? What are you doing here?" Lena looked at him with disbelief.

"We're here to help you rescue Annette." The look on her face caused him to frown, "You're not happy about that are you?"

"It's not that you said 'we're'…as in the others are here too?" He nodded, "Oh…This can't be good. We need to get going, like five minutes ago. Father, mother, Karen…I think we've got some trouble, so I will say goodbye here." She blew out the candle, and got up pulling Herry with her.

"You're leaving it there?" He asked as she dragged him down the pathway.

"We'll call it a calling card, letting my aunts know that I'm still alive and well."

"Didn't they try to kill you?"

"Several times…but that's not important right now, we need to get the others out of here. Theresa probably told you that there was a strange energy here, we're pretty much standing on a magical hotspot. Sacred land some might say, but it can be used for either good or evil. It can also boost a witch's power, tenfold. Do you know why no one's ever discovered this place on a map? It's because ever since the time Alexandra Weatherford buried her husband here in 1687 this place has been one big glamour field and if someone accidentally walked in here it'd be game over for them."

"Game over? Please tell me you're joking."

"Shush I hear something." She whispered as the approached the edge of the pathway.

"Who are you people? How did you find this place?" An older woman's voice asked the six waiting for Lena and Herry to return.

"Get the others into the truck." Lena whispered to Herry then she walked into the woman's view. "Calm down Anna, they're with me."

"Who are you? Take your sunglasses off." Anna demanded.

She pulled off her sunglasses but kept her eyes closed, "To think you'd forget the face of your niece." She opened her eyes letting Anna see her orange iris' glow with intrigue. "Although it has been almost six years since the last time you four tried to kill me so I guess it's understandable."

"What are you doing here? This is sacred land, you of all people aren't supposed to be here."

"What do you think I'm doing here? I'm visiting father's grave, but don't worry we're just leaving. I have some business to take care of and visiting here has wasted a lot of time. Guys get in the truck; I'll lead us out of here in just a minute." She made sure they got in the truck before continuing. "If you even intend on hurting my friends, I swear on each and every one of these graves that I will kill you…all of you." Her voice went ice cold and she glanced in the directions where she knew her other three aunts where waiting.

She walked to her awaiting motorcycle, ducking as throwing knives passed over her head. She looked where they implanted themselves into a couple of trees. "Throwing knives really? A megalomaniac time God can't even kill me, what makes you think you can?" Her hand caught the most recently thrown knife, and she watched as her hand exploded into flame. The steel in her hand slowly heated up and then began melting; the sound of the metal hitting the ground pleased her greatly. She dropped the remains of the knife and brought her attention back to her motorcycle.

She cringed as she grabbed the handle, but ignored the throb in her hand as she walked it over to Herry's truck. He rolled down the window, "You alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine, but stay directly behind me." She took off her pendant, and handed it to him. "Give this to Theresa; it'll keep you safe while driving. Keep your windows closed and don't look back." He nodded, and closed his window, while she pulled out the ribbon in her hair and wrapped it around her hand. She slipped on the ear and mouth piece for her PMR, then her helmet.

"Well at least she's being safe." Jay muttered.

"Blame Richard for that." Lena told her mouth piece as she mounted her motorcycle, revving once. "Can you hear me alright?"

"Loud and clear." He told her.

"Okay. Stay close and let's try and make it out of this forest alive."

"What do you mean alive?" Neil asked.

Lena didn't respond as she began down the pathway out of the forest. Maybe it was because she had given her protective pendent to Theresa or maybe it was because she had the others following her but leaving the Forest from Hell, as Richard called it when he was still alive, seemed easier then when she tried to enter it earlier. She looked ahead and saw a magical trigger coming up, "Herry, do you trust me?"

"Why?" He was suddenly suspicious.

"Yes or no?"

"Yes, I trust you."

"Then on the count of three hit the gas pedal and hold on. 1...2...3!" She sped up and used what magic she could to place a barrier around Herry's truck. She hit the trigger with a jolt and accidentally sucked in the gas that appeared as they broke through the barrier from the forest into the real world. She skidded to a stop and took her helmet off, trying to breath. She swallowed back the bile that threatened to escape her throat.

"Lena?" Herry asked as he got out of the truck.

"I'll be fine…" But her body seemed to disagree with her and she clutched onto a tree as she brought up what food she had eaten in the past two days.

"What the hell was that?" Jay asked as she pulled out her toothbrush, toothpaste and a bottle of water.

"Gas…The kind that'll make you sick if you're a normal person." She told him around her toothbrush.

"A normal person? Then why aren't we getting sick?"

"Why do you think?" She rolled her eyes. "Now turn around all of you, I need to change before any more of this stuff gets into my system." They did as she asked.

"So the reason we didn't get sick was because?" Theresa asked.

Lena sighed, "It's because I shielded the truck, and if passing through that damn trigger didn't make me feel like I was being electrocuted, I wouldn't have gasped and accidentally taken the stuff into my body." She pulled on her coat, and threw her old clothes into a pile, lighting it on fire.

"Are you going to be alright drive?" Herry asked.

"I'll be fine, I'm not normal remember?" There was a pause, "Let's just get going I want to get there before one." She pulled the ribbon off her hand and looked at the cut there, the thin red line made her let out a sigh of relief she hadn't known she had been holding.

"Lena one more question." Atlanta asked.

"Yeah what is it?"

"Can I drive your motorcycle?"

She thought about it for a second, "On the way back."

The Road: 3:30 p.m.

They were making good time, of course that was because Lena was speeding and Herry was simply doing his best to keep up with her, trying not to alert any cops that might be in the area. "Lena you're driving too fast." Jay warned her.

"No Herry's just driving like an old man." She smirked trying to provoke the man behind the wheel, and apparently it had worked because the truck began to approach her faster.

"Who's old now?" Herry asked.

"I'm still three months younger than you. So that makes you old in my books." She smirked when she heard a stifled laugh.

"Ow! What was that for?" Jay demanded.

"Quiet old man!" Lena and Herry said in unison.

"I'm not old, just wise." Jay was the oldest he knew this but it didn't stop the others from calling old.

The Road: 7:15 p.m.

They were almost at the boarders of Alberta, when Herry's whispered voice came through her ear piece. "Everyone's fallen asleep. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine; I got some rest after my plane flew in this morning." Lena told him, her tone just as whispered. "Are you sure everyone's asleep?"

He looked around quickly, confirming that everyone was asleep. "Yeah; why?"

"I love you." She whispered gently.

He blushed, "Don't say that while I'm driving."

"Why?"

"Because having you make my heart speed up like that isn't making controlling the truck while speeding any easier."

She giggled, "Sorry." She paused in her thoughts, "You know…you haven't said it back to me yet, normally when those three words come out guys either say it back or they run but you've done neither."

"That's because you don't want me to say it."

"How did you?"

"I told you didn't I that I know you better than you'd like me to."

Inside the city: 1:30 a.m.

"So where do we go from here?" Jay asked, now that everyone was awake.

Lena laughed halfheartedly, "Haha. Right…I wish I knew."

"What do you mean? You don't know?" Archie asked.

"Well considering I got around on busses most of my life, yes I have no idea."

"Then let's find somewhere to sit down and eat. I'm famished." Herry suggested.

"Agreed." Lena said, "I need to fill up on gas anyways, and then that way we could find a map."

Within the next ten minutes they had found a restaurant and a map. "I love this city; you can always count on one place being open." Lena admitted.

"I can't believe you don't know the way to your own house." Archie told her.

"I haven't been here in two years, what did you expect?" She glared at him.

He smirked, "Well maybe if you're magical remembrance power was working we wouldn't be in this mess."

She took his hands in hers, and looked sorrowful, "I'm sorry Archie but that only works with bad memories." She smirked as her temperature rose to the point of burning.

"Ow!" He pulled his hands away and began to blow on them. "Damn it Lena!"

"Don't play with fire unless you intend to get burnt."

"Hey would you two try to get along, we're in public." Jay told them. "Now where are we going?" He unfolded the map.

"Pass me the north western part of the map." She looked at it more thoroughly, as she traced the roads. Remembering them, she let her finger find the way for her and she held out her hand for a pen. "We are going here." She circled the location. "Where are we now?"

Jay circled their current location. "So the quickest way there would be down this road." He drew a line from their current location to their destination. "How long will that take?"

"The roads won't be crowded, so about half an hour, maybe." She covered a yawn. "You know; if we're lucky."

"Well…" He looked at Neil. "We've got plenty of luck here."

"Can we just eat now?" Herry asked.

"Agreed." Lena nodded.

Outside of Lena's House: 2:30 a.m.

"The light just went off." Archie reported. "Do we move in yet?"

"No. That just means that Maria is going to bed, and she takes a while to fall asleep so we might want to wait a bit before going in." Lena told him. "What do you think leader?"

"I'm not leading this mission." Jay told her. "This is all yours we'll follow your lead."

"Then we'll wait twenty minutes."

"I hate waiting like this." Atlanta told them.

"As do I, but we have no choice. I don't want a run in with my wicked stepmother, or Raphael. It just won't end well." She sighed.

"So what's our plan?" Theresa asked distracting Lena from her brooding.

"You, Atlanta, Neil and I will go in."

"I'm going to stop you there." Herry told her, "Why Neil? And why aren't I coming with you?"

"Herry I've seen your skills as a ninja they're not that great, and Neil's coming because he's lucky. We'll need all the luck we can get to keep the dogs from noticing us." She told him.

"But I wanted to see your room." He muttered.

She felt blush color her face, "It's not that different from my room at the dorm, it just has more scorch marks…"

"Is that possible?" Jay asked, "I've seen the scorch marks in your room at the dorm, there's a lot."

"I don't know; I'll have to count when we get back." She laughed.

"Everything looks clear back here, no signs of movement at all." Odie told her from where he was stationed in the alleyway behind the house with Archie.

"Alright then, let's move." She jumped out of the back of Herry's truck, and they snuck their way to the side of the garage, where Herry lifted them onto it. "Stay here." She whispered. He and Jay nodded. She walked up to window where she knew her room was and melted the screen, which was in their way.

"Did you really need to melt it?" Theresa asked.

She shrugged, "What's a little destruction compared to breaking and entering and kidnapping?"

Theresa looked at Atlanta, and Atlanta shrugged. "Let's trust her."

Lena slid the windows open, surprised to be greeted by the light from the lamp. Theresa and Atlanta boosted her in, and then Neil. Atlanta and Theresa climbed in themselves. Lena glared and whispered, "Sorry for being so short." She went to the bed, where Annette slept peacefully. 'She's going to hate me for this.' Lena placed a hand on her shoulder shaking her gently, "Annette, Annette." She called quietly; there was nothing. 'Don't get angry…do not get angry. She's a heavy sleeper…that's all.' Lena shook her more forcefully, "Annette! Wake up!" She called in her normal voice, careful not to wake the two adults sleeping in the next room over.

"Wha?" A still half asleep Annette asked but when she noticed that there was someone in the room with her. "WHAT THE?"

Lena clamped her hand over Annette's mouth to keep her from screaming. "Shh! It's just me! Lena! You're faithful cousin is here to rescue you from her wicked stepparents."

Annette spoke against her hand, "Lena?"

"You're not going to start screaming again, are you?" She shook her head, and Lena removed her hand. "Now listen to me carefully Annette, before we start anything I need you to answer a question." She nodded. "Did Raphael or Derek do anything to you? Anything at all?"

"No, why?"

"Okay then good. Now grab your stuff, I'm taking you home. What are you doing here anyways? I told you not to come here anymore. That it wasn't safe." Lena got off the bed and moved to the closet, digging in it for something.

"I'm here because Maria thought that if I was on that news report that you'd come home." Annette paused, "And I can't go home…"

Lena looked back at her, "Why not?"

"I…kind of…got kicked out again." She said half laughing. "Maria said I could stay here until my mom calmed down."

"Then come home with me, but it'll be dangerous." She told Annette.

Jay's voice was loud in her ear piece, "She can't come and stay at the dorm with us Athena will never allow it."

"Calm down, Jay. I have an apartment in New Olympia, she can there." She told him.

"That place doesn't have furniture remember?" Herry asked.

Lena stiffened, "That's true isn't it? Well I'll talk to the dorm advisor, and work something out until I at least buy a bed for there."

"And what about Cronus?" Jay asked.

"I've got that covered, trust me." She turned to Annette, "So how about it?"

"To New Olympia?"

"I'll call your mom and since I'm eighteen now, I can become your legal guardian, and fill out the paper work. But it'll mean attending school, so I can keep an eye on you."

"Lena, do they let people transfer in this late in the year?" Theresa asked.

"They do when they have an extra year until they graduate, plus I've got a good reputation with the principal." She smiled.

"You're not the only one." Jay told her.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"The principal and Hera are the same person."

"What? Are you serious?"

"You mean you didn't notice?"

"No…" She paused as Annette was scowling. "What is it Annette?"

"Why do you need to keep an eye on me? I'm not a child!" Annette told her.

Lena knelt in front of her, "Like I said it's dangerous in New Olympia, mainly for people close to us."

"Because of that thing you can't tell me about?"

Lena nodded, "Yes, so are you in or out? Either way you're not staying here. I'll take you to your grandparents if I have to."

"I'm in, but what about my stuff in the bathroom?"

"Neil and I will get it, Theresa and Atlanta will help you pack, alright?" She looked at the three by the window, Neil was fixing his hair but Theresa and Atlanta nodded.

"Neil?" Annette looked at the trio, and Neil put his mirror down long enough for their eyes to meet, and she smirked playfully. "You look good in your clothes, but I think they'd look better in a pile beside my bed." Theresa, and Atlanta raised their eyebrows, but Neil just smirked back and ran a hand through his hair.

"Oh Gods." Lena took Annette's face in her hands and made her look at her, "Not Neil, anyone but Neil. Please! I don't care if he's a complete douche bag, just not Neil."

"Why not Neil?" Neil asked.

"Because you're too involved with yourself to be good enough to date my cousin!" She stood and went over to her desk. She began looking around for a blank piece of paper and a pen. When she found them she wrote something down, and began folding the paper. "Come on Golden Boy, let's go loot the bathroom."

"Why do I have to come with you?" He asked as he walked towards her.

"Because you are lucky, and there are dogs…" She started as she opened the door than looked down at the ground where one larger dog and one smaller one were laying, but then there was this puff of white that she didn't recognize. The dogs looked at her and Neil and she knew what was coming, they started barking.

"Clyde! Blackberry! Shut up!" She told them in a hushed yell, and they complied, except the small white puff ball, that continued to bark sharp tiny barks. She picked it up, and glared at it. "Shut up." It did. "Inside all of you." She pointed into her room where they walked in. She turned around, looked at Annette then asked. "Why do my wicked stepparents own a barking rat?"

"It's a Chihuahua, they adopted it last year." Annette told her.

"It's a rat, here take it, and keep it out of our way." She gave it Theresa.

"I heard barking. Is everything alright?" Jay asked from the window.

Lena sighed, "Everything's fine Jay, I'm going to go get Annette's stuff from the bathroom." She walked out of room, suddenly tired.

"Dogs?" Jay looked around.

"The larger one's Blackberry and the smaller one's Clyde and puff ball in her arms is Chester." Annette told them as she got up, and began picking things off the floor, and stuffing them into her travel bag.

Lena came back with a black bag, she stuck the folded piece of paper on the door then handed the bag to Annette, "Check if everything's in there. What else needs to be packed?"

"My hair straightener and hairdryer other than that everything's in here." Annette told her.

Lena grabbed the hair straightener and dryer, quickly wrapped up the cords and placed them in the bag. "You guys can get going." She looked at Theresa and the others. That's when she heard a shuffle in from the other room. "Okay no more time, let's go." She watched the others go then knelt down to help Annette out when the door opened.

"Is everything alright? I heard noises." Maria walked in with the note in her hand, "I'm taking back my Princess, please do not try and contact her again. Neither you nor that man deserves to keep her in your castle. Your own personal monster?" She read confusedly. She looked up at the window. "Lena? You're hair's gotten long but it's you isn't it?"

Lena let out a hissed breath and turned, took off her ear piece and then stuffed in her pocket, she kept her eyes closed. "Yes mother it's me."

"Oh thank god you're alive!" She went to hug Lena but her hands were slapped away.

Lena finally opened her eyes, "You wouldn't want to hug a monster now would you?"

Maria stepped back, "You're eyes…they're the same color from that night."

Lena nodded, "They've gone back to normal, Maria. These are my natural eye color."

"But you're alive! That's always a good thing."

"No thanks to Raphael. Oh wait you don't know what happened that night, because you were to fucking busy to notice what they-"

Annette spun her around and slapped her. "Why do you have to be such a bitch? She went out of her way to take me in after I was kicked out, and she's been so worried about you."

"I'm sorry for doing this to you Annette." She placed her hand on her face, and whispered, "Sleep." Annette's legs buckled and Lena caught her with one arm and with the other she grabbed her earpiece and pulled it out of her pocket. "Can one of you come grab Annette?"

"On it." Jay told her.

"What did you do to her?" Maria demanded.

"I put her to sleep, because I can do that. I'm a witch Maria, whenever I got angry and things lit on fire, that was all me. Father was just really good at covering it up."

"Lena?" Jay asked. Lena picked up Annette and handed her to Jay. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Give me a minute." She turned to face Maria. "Have you tried to ask Raphael what happened that night?"

"Of course I have. But he told me not to worry about it, but then you tried to commit suicide, and then ran away!"

Lena shook her head, and walked past Maria to the desk. She opened both the top and bottom drawers then closed them quickly. She reached under the desk, and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper and a blank CD case. "This piece of paper is the deed to the house, but this disk is more important than any piece of paper."

"What is it?"

"Watch it and find out." There were suddenly two CD cases in her hand. "I'd watch it within the next twenty four hours before it disappears. As for the deed, I have no more need for this house; I'll have my lawyer look it over to make sure everything is in check before I give it to you. On one condition I have this place, and it has no furniture, so if you could send everything in this room, and my piano, there. I'll have my lawyer call you later with the address." She gave her the duplicate case, "And I'm taking teddy-cam with me." She pulled a teddy bear off her dresser, and held it close.

"Lena…" Maria started.

"Just watch the disk. I need to get going, I have people waiting for me." She climbed out of the window, and jumped off the roof where Herry was waiting for her.

He held her in his arms, "Are you going to be alright?"

"Depends are you going to keep holding me?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll be just fine."

On their way back to New Olympia, they stopped off at Lena's storage building. "Why did Richard have to leave you so much stuff?" Atlanta asked.

"Hey I found photo albums." Theresa told them.

"Let me see!" Atlanta told her.

Archie looked at the album over Atlanta's shoulder. "Wow, you were cute as a child…what happened?"

"That's what I want to know." Lena told them from further inside the storage locker. That's when she saw a small glimmer of silver, she pulled it out. "A keyboard?" She read the note. 'For when you're no longer afraid.' "Daddy…" The weight of the past few days finally hit her, and when it did she couldn't stop the tears from spilling out.

"Lena?" Herry asked, as he approached her. His arms wrapped around her, and they slowly met the floor. He picked up the card and read it, "Sometimes…" He whispered to her, "It's okay to cry."

She hadn't cried like this in front of anyone since her father was alive. She hadn't cried at Karen's and Richard's funeral, she had saved that for when they got home three days later. She hadn't shown weakness to anyone in a very long time, and now here she was crying in the arms of the man who she promised never to cry in front of.

Annette looked around a pile of boxes, and saw Lena crying in Herry arms. She whispered, "Looks like you've finally found your important person."


	20. The Plan

(A/N: Chapter eighteen! YAY! So because Sailor Moon references are nearly obligatory, at least to me, I thought I'd throw one in here because mostly I thought it'd be funny. So enjoy! Review, all thoughts and comments are still very much loved.)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans belongs to it's legal owners

Chapter 18: The Plan

Lena wiped her forehead with the back of her wrist, "All done."

"It's sparkling…" Annette said as she looked into the now furnished apartment. It had been one week since they had brought her to New Olympia, and the stuff from Lena's house had arrived last night.

"I am never helping you move ever again." Jay said while stretching his shoulders.

"Well if you had let me use magic like I intended to do in the first place, you wouldn't have needed to help." Lena told him.

Jay shook his head, "You aren't supposed to use magic for something like that."

"Hey guys! We brought food!" Odie called as he and Neil came up the second flight of stairs.

"You show up now?" Archie asked, "We could have used your help about an hour ago."

"Let's get inside before we disturb the neighbors." Lena smiled, as they walked inside.

"Wow even with all your stuff in here, it's still pretty large." Odie stated.

"Yeah Uncle Albert, wasn't sure what size would be best, and so he got this one." She shrugged.

"Sheesh, who pays for the rent on this place?" Archie asked.

"I do." She looked at him confused, "Why?"

"How?"

"Inheritance mostly…and prize money from when I played piano as a child."

Cronus' Lair:

Cronus watched as the children who were destined to defeat him, ate lunch on the floor of an unknown apartment. He had noticed in the past week that he was getting more and more images than ever since that mage had shown up almost two years ago. "This is strange, ever since that girl has shown up the mage has dropped her guard. Maybe I should find out who she is, she might lead to the downfall of those kids once and for all."

The apartment:

Lena looked back, as the chill of being watched set in. Her eyes widened as she realized that her guard was down, which meant that the thing that kept Cronus from watching them was down as well, with a petite sigh she put a barrier around the apartment safeguarding it from whatever monsters might come after them.

"Is everything alright?" Herry whispered into her ear.

She jumped, "It's nothing I just got a strange feeling that's all." She placed her head on his shoulder. "Don't worry everything is fine."

"Wow something's changed between you two." Atlanta pointed out. "Did something good happen? Like during that weekend we left you guys alone."

"I did not hear about this weekend." Annette raised an eyebrow.

"What? Nothing happened!" She looked at Herry.

Odie sighed, "Guys really? While we're eating?"

Neil agreed, "Yeah take pity on us single people! Don't worry Odie we'll make it through these tough times."

"Oh so you're single then?" Annette asked.

"I am what about you do you have anyone waiting for you back home?" Neil asked suddenly abandoning his spot with Odie to sit with Annette.

A low growl came from Lena's throat, "Neil you touch my cousin and I shatter every last one of your mirrors."

"Ooooh, this I want to see." Archie told them.

"Not the mirrors!" Neil cried.

Lena shook her head, "Narcissist."

"Look at my ancestry! It's not my fault you're jealous of my insanely good looks." He smirked.

"Says the man who got cursed by…" The doorbell rang before she could finish her sentence, "Oh. Doorbell." She got up and answered the door.

"Package for a Ms. Raregrove."

"A package, I'm not expecting anything…" She signed for it. "Thank you." She closed the door with her foot and looked at the mailing address, "England? It's probably from Nate…"

"Who?" The others asked in unison.

She placed the parcel on the kitchen counter, "Uncle Albert's adopted son, we grew up together. I think there's a recent photo around here somewhere…" She began flipping through the photo albums in the corner of the room, until she found the photo. She looked at the picture, and shook her head, "Nope sorry couldn't find one."

"Then who's that?" Atlanta asked from suddenly behind her. "You two look close."

"Let me see." Theresa said while she got up.

Lena closed the book, and then suddenly the photo album was missing from her hands. "Atlanta!"

"Hey I had forgotten you had short hair! Wow, you two do look close." Theresa said.

"You two are gossip addicts." Lena sat down again with a sigh.

"You shouldn't have brought him up, and aren't you going to open that?" Annette asked, pointed the brown package on the counter.

"Nope…because it's probably just another one of his twisted ideas of a gift."

Later:

"I'll see you guys at the dorm later." Lena said as she waved and closed the door. "Phew, I'm tired."

"Hey Lena, did you actually look at who sent this." Annette asked as she stood over the package.

"No. It's from England so I just assumed it was Nate. Why?"

"Because it's from the Institute of Art and Music."

"What?" Lena asked as she rushed over and opened the package. She began reading the papers that came with it.

"That is a lot of money…" Annette said from over her shoulder.

"That is definitely a lot of money." Lena looked at the number again.

Two days later: Cronus' Lair:

"They're alone today." Cronus told himself. "This girl, she's the mage's weakness. This might be worth checking out."

Coffee Shop:

Annette handed a coffee to Lena, "Have you tried talking to Herry about it? That's the reason why you're so confused isn't it?"

"It's not the only reason. I have a purpose here, and if I leave it could put everyone at risk. This is end of the world kind of risk here." Lena complained quietly.

"Ah, yes that thing that you're working on but can't tell me anything about it besides it could mean the end of the world, and you may die while doing it." Annette smirked around her coffee.

"You are aware that sounds like every other part of my life right? The dying bit anyways." She took a tiny sip of her coffee.

"You know with Richard's family constantly trying to kill you and what not. Not to mention Rayne's mother practically disowned you."

"It's alright; nothing else matters if you're with me."

"You know I'd be inclined to believe that if I hadn't seen you crying in the arms of another man last week."

"You saw that?" Lena blushed scarlet. "That wasn't…okay it totally was, but I didn't intend for it to happen."

"So then, now that your friends aren't around, what happened that one weekend they left you alone?" Annette smirked openly now.

"Nothing happened!" If the blush on Lena's face could get any darker it probably did.

"Lies and libel!"

"I love you."

"Do not think you are getting out of it that easily. Tell me!"

"Well we pretty much played videogames all day, and then had pizza for dinner. Then we watched a movie." She could feel her ears start to burn as she remembered that one night. "And then it was bed time, and then as I left I popped the question of whether or not we should break up. Then talking happened, and then some kissing…and then some other things." Her face was burning now.

"I don't need to hear about that, but tell me one thing. Was it any good? I mean wasn't he the innocent farm boy before all of stuff with that thing that you can't tell me about started."

Lena paused and her face hit the table as she groaned, but then looked up slightly. "Is it bad that I think I stole his virginity?"

"Technically, he gave it to you."

"Can we stop talking about this now?"

"I think I've embarrassed you enough for today, so yes." Annette took a drink of her coffee. "Hmmm…I think that man's checking you out."

"Describe him to me, so I don't turn around and see some creepy old dude." Lena sighed.

"Well he's older, to the point of his hair greying; he has grey streaks on the sides and puff of grey sticking up." Annette started.

Lena suddenly sat up straight. "Keep going."

"He's wearing a black business suit."

"Does he have a goatee and a scar?"

"Yeah. Do you know him?"

"We need to go. Now!" 'Distraction…we need a distraction.' Lena began looking around frantically, and decided the best thing to do was overheat the coffee machines, creating multiple fires. She grabbed Annette's wrist and pulled her out of the coffee shop while chaos ensued.

Cronus followed the two girls out of the shop but only saw Lena's motorcycle turn the corner. He let out a growl and disappeared through his portal.

"Lena! Slow down! You're scaring me! Who was that man?" Annette screamed past her helmet.

"I'll explain everything once we get you somewhere safe!" She said as she drove to the school. She drove into the parking lot, and spotted Herry's truck. "Good they're here."

"Lena it's Sunday! What are we doing at the school? It's not going to be open." Annette told her.

Lena opened the door, "Inside now, please." She pulled out her PMR and called Jay.

"Jay here." His voice was surprisingly calming.

"Hi. We have a problem."

"What sort of problem? Where are you? We'll come and get you; we're at the school now."

"Yeah I know; so am I. I'll meet you in the field okay?"

"Right."

Lena hung up, and looked at Annette. "You trust me right?" She nodded. "Okay then you are not going to believe me when I tell you, so it's best if I just show you." They walked to the janitor's closet.

"A janitor's closet? Really? What you have to show me is a janitor's closet?" She oozed skepticism.

Lena pulled off her key pendant, and then put it in the lock. "It's not the janitor's closet I wanted to show you, it's what's inside the closet that you need to see." 'They're going to be pissed at me for doing this.'

"Cleaning supplies? Woah!" She stumbled as Lena pulled her inside, and she watched as Lena pulled the light switch. "What the?" She put a hand through the portal but then fell in when Lena pushed her.

"Sorry for the rough treatment, but at least you didn't land face first on the marble like I did my first time." They heard whistling. "Crap."

Hermes flew by with a glance in their direction, "Hey Lena, Annette."

"Hi Hermes." Lena waved. 'Don't notice, please don't notice.'

Hermes looked again, "Annette? Gah! Mortal! Hera!" He flew off in a direction away from them.

"Okay we're running now." Lena told her, while leading her down the hall at a running pace. They were quickly greeted by Rhiannon, "Hi Rhiannon, I'll play with you later."

"That's Rhiannon? I thought she was a dog from the way you described her!"

"She is pretty much, she's a fire breathing, scale covered dog with wings."

"She's a dragon!"

"Hide!" Lena got Annette behind her.

"Lena." Ares looked at her briefly then back down at the scroll he was reading.

"Ares." Lena nodded, and waited for him to walk past. "Come on we're almost there."

They burst into the field area, panting and gasping. "Lena! What is she doing here?" Jay demanded.

"Cronus is after her. Couldn't think of a safer place to keep her." Lena gasped. "Hera on her way…explain everything to her, while I cover."

"Lena? What do you mean? Cronus is after her? What happened?" Jay demanded.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Hera's voice echoed throughout the field. "Bringing a mortal here? Lena we need to talk."

"Yes ma'am." Her eyes pleaded with Jay, who nodded. She walked away with Hera into the Goddess' study. 'Is it just me or does she only bring me here to yell at me?'

"What were you thinking bringing a mortal here? I gave you one condition when I accepted her into this school and that was that she was not to find out about this place."

"That was when things were under normal circumstances." She told her.

"What's different now?"

"Well ma'am, as it turns out Cronus is after her."

"You're sure?"

"Yes we were at the coffee shop today and he was there, apparently he kept looking over at us."

"How does he know about her?"

"Because I am an idiot, I'm too comfortable around her, I let my guard down and my shields went down with it. He's probably been watching us since last week. But I don't want her in danger unless she knows what's after her." Lena's mind was spinning, until the idea hit her. 'He's after her…' "He's after her!"

"Um…yes we've established that. Lena where are you going?" Hera demanded as she chased after the girl.

Lena burst into the field area, "Annette become bait!"

"What?" The group of teenagers exclaimed.

"Cronus is already after her right? So why don't we set a trap for him, without his knowledge. Without using visions, without some magical talisman, but we use what he's after. It's clear that he knows Annette is my weakness, so let's give him what he wants." She was pacing.

"Wait, wait. What? You lost us. Calm down and start over again." Odie told her, and he was normally able to follow her random speech.

"Think about it, if Cronus is after Annette, he'll find some way to get to her no matter what right?" They nodded. "So let's be prepared, and then give him what he wants. We use her as bait to lure Cronus out, and then he'll come after me when I'm alone. You stick a tracking device on me, so when he takes me, you follow and save me before he gets away with killing me and then we send him back to Tartarus where he belongs. If Annette will help us, that is."

"Help put away megalomaniac God, sure why not?" Annette shrugged.

"How?" Jay asked.

"Well I have two ways. One we stick Jay in a dress that looks like this." She pulled out her sketch book and showed them the princess style dress, "We give him a blond wig, and he uses this." She pulled out a pink crescent moon shaped wand with a crystal on it. "And we hope that he can manifest the powers of love and friendship enough to defeat Cronus."

"Did you have that with you the whole time we were out today?" Annette asked.

"Yeah I found it in one of the boxes, and thought I'd bring it back to the dorm with me." Lena shrugged.

"Question. Why am I in the dress?" Jay asked slightly confused by this plan.

"Well…" Lena said while spinning the wand around in her hand, "You're the leader, the leader always wears the dress, but don't worry the rest of would be in sailor outfits and right behind you."

"Lena…" Odie said with a sigh, "What's the second plan?"

"Oh right the second plan is that we use the portal thingy that leads directly to his cell."

"He can teleport out of there remember?" Odie told her.

"Not when Theresa and I go to Tartarus and charm the cell so that he can't. Okay so we prep the portal thingy, we set up a minor plan to leave Annette unguarded enough so he can capture her, I go off on a trip and he offers a trade: my life for hers. When I get captured, I tell him that he'd enjoy killing me more if he got to see the look on Herry's face when he did it, so he waits until you guys show up. I break free whatever binds have me tied up and we kick his sorry ass and throw him into the portal where he'll spend his days in Tartarus."

"How do you know he'll even capture Annette?" Jay asked.

"Because he's used something against all of you." She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Like when?" Neil asked.

"Shall I make a list? Odie: he bribed you with strength and Calypso. Atlanta: While Arachne was working for him; she used your pride against you, oh and don't forget Pan. Herry: He's used Granny, sirens and Sybaris against you. Theresa: You got captured by Hecate who was working for Cronus. Archie: because you and Odie started messing with the flow of time he forced you two to start rapidly aging and then there was that time you put on the mask of Phobus and became more paranoid than I am. Neil: first you thought he was an agent, then you got yourself captured by Echo, and then you got cursed by Nemesis."

"Nothing like that has happened to me." Jay told her.

"One word, Jay, Medelia." Lena smirked, as they all looked away not meeting her eyes.

"How do you know all of this?" Archie asked, "You weren't even here for half of it."

"Ask your girlfriend." Lena smiled, "Now tell me if you see any problems with this plan. We need to try something, we're graduating soon…we won't be able to stay together after high school." Herry raised his hand, "Besides it puts me in direct danger." Herry promptly put his hand down. That's when Neil put his hand up. "Yeah Neil."

"I have two problems. One that dress would look better on me." They all looked at him, trying not to laugh.

"I think I'd like to see that." Annette admitted.

"Enough with the dress!" Jay cried.

Neil continued, "And two this puts your hot cousin in danger."

"Every last one of them…" Lena muttered.

"What?" Neil asked.

"Say goodbye to your mirrors Neil." Lena said with a devilish grin, and began walking off in the direction of the dorm.

Neil attached himself to her feet. "No! Lena! Don't do it!"

"Do it!" Archie and Atlanta called, as they tried to pull Neil off of Lena.

Jay noticed a stray piece of paper fall out of Lena's bag, and he picked it up, "Lena…" His eye's drifted to the paper.

'_We here by invite you to join us at our academy._'

"What the?"

'_We listened to the CD you sent us, and we would be honored to help you grow into a full-fledged musician. We have also heard about your circumstances and will offer you a five thousand scholarship for every month that you attend here._ _If you attend for a four year plan you will earn a net worth of twenty four hundred thousand dollars._'

"She can't be planning to-"

Annette placed a hand on his shoulder, "She's confused enough as it about this, and as long as Cronus is still out there she won't go. But this is an amazing opportunity for her…and that is a lot of money they're willing to offer her. Just don't bring it up until we see if this plan of hers actually works."

"But it'll mean she'll go off to England…"

"Yes, but it'll also mean she'll be doing something she loves." She told him as she slipped the paper out of his hand and went over to them battling group. "Alright calm down guys." She slipped the paper into Lena's bag, without her noticing. She looked at Jay and winked, telling him that there was now no problem.

Theresa came up to Jay, "What was on that piece of paper?"

"It was nothing; we should start working on making Lena's plan work." Jay shook his head, trying to think of the big task ahead of them.


	21. Well That's Surprising

(A/N: Yay! Chapter nineteen! =D The Battle with Cronus is probably weak I openly admit this, but enjoy!)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans and all references belong to their legal owners

Chapter 19: Well That's Surprising

They spent the next couple of weeks setting up Lena's plan, she and Theresa went with Hermes down into Tartarus and spent an entire weekend adding charms inside Cronus' cell so that he couldn't escape when he fell into the portal. Lena had been purposely leaving her barrier down, to make it seem like she hadn't noticed he was watching them. But it was now the day before the bait was being sent out, they were all lined up and Jay was giving them a pep talk. "Tomorrow's the day." Jay told them. "Are we ready?"

"Yes sir!"

"Are we going to beat Cronus?" He asked.

"Yes sir!"

"Do we have everything ready?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good then let's all get some rest and be prepared for tomorrow." He looked at Lena who seemed to be worrying about something. "Lena either my pep talking skills are sadly failing or there's something wrong, is it about tomorrow?"

She shook her head, "No, it's not about the plan tomorrow." 'It's about what happens after tomorrow.' "I'm just upset that you won't put on the dress I made you."

"You are determined to get me in that thing aren't you?"

"And the wig, can't forget the wig."

"I still say that dress would look better on me." Neil said.

"But I already have the dress made in Jay's size." She frowned.

"Do I want to know? You know what I don't. I'm going back to the dorm now." Jay turned on his heel.

"So are we going?" Annette asked Lena. "You're spending the night right?"

"I gotta drop by Hephaestus' workshop before we leave; he's got something for me. Wait here," Lena told her. She glanced at Neil, "Keep your well-manicured hands off my cousin."

An hour later:

"Alright I'm back." Lena paused in the doorway as she caught Annette and Neil in an embrace. She was stunned into silence, 'When did this start happening? I was gone for an hour! An hour! What do I do? I can't just keep standing here, they'll see me. It's obvious that they don't want me to know, but I can't move…this is just too shocking!'

Herry walked down the pathway, having just finished a conversation with Hercules. He was hoping there would be someone to head home with; he knew for sure that Jay, Theresa, Archie and Atlanta had gone back to the dorm first. He went to the training area first, but saw no one was there, so he headed to the field. That's when he saw Lena standing there clearly frozen, whatever she saw was shocking. He approached her and then he saw what she saw, they had all promised to keep it a secret from her, and now she had to find out like this. He grabbed her hand and pulled her backwards, he now towered over her from where he pinned her against the wall.

"Herry? You scared me." She ran a hand through her hair. "So did you know about Neil and Annette? If I had known that she was actually into him and not just randomly flirting…"

"It was for the sake of his precious mirrors, what good is a narcissist without mirrors to check himself out in?" He told her half laughing.

She laughed quietly, "I'm kind of surprised that their egos haven't clashed yet…Although if this works out between them he could check himself out while she straightened her hair. Can I ask you how long has it been since you've known?"

"We found out a week after we moved her into your apartment." He admitted.

"Damn they're good."

"You aren't angry?"

"Why should I be? If this is what she wants then who am I to stand in her way?" She took his hand and led him into the field area. She paused just at the entrance, and then exclaimed, "GAH! MY EYES! GET A ROOM!"

Annette and Neil both looked up, their mouths open wide. Neil pulled away quickly, and was stammering, "This isn't what it looks like! Please don't break my mirrors."

"That's enough Neil, there's no need to keep lying to her. Lena, Neil and I are dating." Annette told her.

"Kay. Anyways you ready to get going?" Lena asked.

"Woah! Wait just a minute! That's it? No mirror breaking? No getting angry?" Neil asked slightly confused.

"Am I angry that you guys kept it a secret? Yes. But am I angry that you two are together? Not really, because it seems you make her happy, so I won't get in your way." She reached her hand out towards Annette. "Let's go Princess, your chariot a waits."

"Alright, my beloved knight." Then she whispered to Neil. "You better come and save us tomorrow." Neil nodded.

Herry kissed Lena's forehead, "Be safe, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah…" Annette took Lena's hand and they headed out to the mortal world.

The next morning:

"So everything you need is on the bed. You ready?" Lena asked.

"I think so. Do you really think this plan will work?" Annette asked slightly nervous.

"You aren't backing out on us now are you?" Lena shifted through her bag, and spotted what she had gotten from Hephaestus. "Oh I forgot to give you something." She pulled out a pendant, and showed it to her. The pendant was shaped like a crescent moon on a black circle. "May there always be some light even on the darkest of nights." She giggled, "At least that's what I thought when I designed it, it'll will keep you safe from whatever Cronus may throw at you, when our eyes first meet, blink twice to let me know that you still have it."

Annette nodded as Lena put the necklace on her, "So basically keep it hidden so he doesn't see it."

"Yes, now are you ready?" Annette nodded, and she spoke "Barriers going down in three…two…one." Her face changed from determined to solemn, "I'm sorry about this being so sudden, Annette. But it seems that Anna wants to talk to me on neutral grounds, so I need to head to the family grave for the weekend."

Annette smiled kindly, "Don't worry about it I'll be fine on my own."

Cronus' Lair:

"The mage is leaving for the weekend, leaving the girl wide open." Cronus began to ponder, "This has to be some sort of trap, but that mage doesn't leave her side very often, this might be the only chance I get to finally destroy those kids. Agnon! We're leaving!"

The Gods' Domain:

Jay was pacing, he didn't like waiting for Lena and Annette to get themselves captured. "Is Lena in position?" He asked Odie, trying to keep his mind distracted.

"Yes. She arrived at the gravesite five minutes ago." Odie told him.

"Jay, would you please sit down? We don't the three of you pacing at once." Theresa told him.

"Wha?" He asked suddenly confused. She gestured to Neil and Herry, and Jay stopped pacing. "Oh."

"Thank the Gods you stopped, I beginning to get nervous. If our faithful leader doesn't believe in the plan he perfected over the past two weeks how are we supposed to believe in it?" Atlanta told him.

"It's not the plan I'm worried about, what happens if he does something to them?" Jay asked suddenly worried again.

"Has Jay gone into 'parental Jay' mode?" Archie whispered to Atlanta.

"We haven't seen that in a while…I think he's overdue." She whispered back to him.

"Hold on guys, Annette just placed the trap." Odie told them.

"Do we know where he's holding her?" Jay asked.

"No…just that the traps been set down. Thinking about it now, we probably could have just put a tracking device on her, and not have to leave Lena alone."

"So why didn't we?" Herry asked.

"Because we didn't think about it at the time." Jay told him with a sigh.

Rose family gravesite:

Lena waited patiently by laying down lilies down on each of the graves, her sunglasses blocked out the early summer sun. When she was finished she went to the first row of graves and knelt in front of the second one. "Alexandra Rose Weatherford. You probably don't know me; I'm Lena Rose Raregrove, one of your great granddaughters. I was hoping that you'd watch over me and my friends, we're doing something dangerous." She paused when she felt a presence behind her.

"Isn't that sweet? But no matter who you ask you're still going to lose." Cronus laughed.

"Says the God who's too afraid to attack us while we're together. So he has to wait until one of us is alone. Sounds like someone's gotten a bit cowardly since we first met." She told him as she stood and turned around, facing him. Her hands flexed ready for a fight.

"Ah ah ah." He warned her, "You wouldn't want your cousin to be hurt would you?" The air shimmered beside him and Annette appeared; her hands chained above her head.

Lena looked aghast at her cousin, who blinked twice, and then Lena pulled off her sunglasses to glare at Cronus. "Let her go." Her voice was little more than a growl.

Annette called out, "Lena help me!"

"I'm only going to warn you once more, let her go Cronus." Lena warned him again.

"And what are you going to do? The prophecy said eight heroes would defeat me, but I only see you."

"As true as that may be, we are standing on the one magical hotspot in Canada that I can tap into easily." As if to encourage her sudden act of bravery, the graves behind her seemed to move. "Now let her go."

"I think not." He smiled coldly.

Lena clenched her teeth, "Then I'll offer an exchange, me for the girl." She even placed her hands in front of her waiting for shackles.

Cronus snapped his fingers and shackles appeared on her wrist, but then he smirked, "But I think I'll keep the girl for insurance."

"You son of a bitch!" She then offered a silent apology to Gaia, "Swear on the River Styx that you won't harm her!" Agnon appeared behind her and moved her forward into Cronus' portal. She looked around and noticed that they were inside a volcano, which she hoped it was dormant. She looked at Annette who was hanging over a pool of lava. She then looked at the floor, looking for the trap which she knew had yet been activated. She stepped on the side of it then quickly cast a glamour spell on it so that Cronus wouldn't notice it. She looked ahead, "What good will it do bringing me here? You could have easily finished me off in the graveyard."

He watched as Agnon attached her shackles to the wall, "Well I wanted to make you suffer a slow and painful death. Although having your beloved cousin, who so believed you'd get her out of here, watch you die might be even more enjoyable."

"You're not only a coward, but a sadist too. That's kind of-" The back of his hand met her face. She smirked; her orange eyes, now darkened to red, were glowing with rage. She laughed when a shoe met Cronus' head.

Annette was not going to watch him beat up Lena like that so she kicked her shoe at him, hitting him in head. "Keep your grimy hands off my cousin!"

Cronus clenched his hands together, when Lena tsked him, "She's the only reason why you're not covered in lava right now Cronus, you touch her and it's game over." Her tone was smoldering with rage.

"Yes but I'll survive being covered in lava, you won't." He scoffed.

"Maybe, but I wouldn't be so sure, if I were you." She let out a breath. 'Hurry up guys. I'm not sure how much longer I can stall for.'

Jay looked down at the group of giants waiting for them. "I count five giants, one God, and two girls."

"Two? Wasn't she supposed to get Annette out of there?" Neil asked.

"He's probably holding her for insurance, to keep Lena from lashing out." Jay told him.

"The trap has been set, she even glamoured it, to keep Cronus from noticing." Odie told them.

"Alright Archie, Atlanta you go first, try not to get caught." Jay nodded to the two waiting behind them. "Are Herry and Theresa in position?"

"Distraction starting in…three…two…one." Odie counted down and then they heard the sound of rocks crashing further into the mountain.

They heard Cronus bellow, "Don't just stand there! Find out what that was!" They then watched as the giants went off to find out what that noise was.

"Go!" Jay told Archie and Atlanta. Archie used his whip to wrap around one of the jutting out rocks, he held onto Atlanta tightly and swung to another jutted out ledge. Archie swung the whip back towards Jay, who looked at Odie. "Ready?"

"Not really." Odie grabbed the whip handle, closed his eyes and leapt forward. He only opened them when Archie's hand met his on the whip gently easing it out of his death grip. Archie then threw the whip back at Jay who sent Neil across next, and then came across himself.

"I found a way down." Atlanta told them, she led the way down. But they noticed, as they got down further into the volcano, that the temperature was dropping. "Is it just me or is it getting colder?"

"You're right…that is strange, shouldn't it be getting warmer?" Jay asked.

Archie sighed, "I bet Lena has something to do with it."

Lena was absorbing the warmth from the volcano around her. She knew the room was getting colder, while she was heating up. But it was clear Cronus hadn't noticed the drop in temperature, because he paced the room wondering what was taking his giants so long to come back. But she knew that they were at the mercy of Herry and Theresa now, they weren't coming back. She looked up at the cavernous rock and saw five figures making their way down towards them. She then decided that now would be a good time to start melting the shackles that had her bound.

Agnon came back, clearly not himself, but Cronus didn't notice. "Where are the others?" He demanded. Agnon shrugged, and Lena could nearly see the telepathic waves controlling him, meaning that Theresa and Herry were close. Cronus roared and asked again "Where are the others?"

"Right here!" Archie yelled, swinging in on his whip, and Cronus turned just in time to get Archie's shoe planted in his face. He turned to Lena, "Bet you're glad to see me."

"Bout time you got here!" Lena told him, but then smiled widely.

Cronus got up from where he landed, and cursed. "So it was a trap." He attempted to open a portal, but it closed on him. "What the?"

Odie laughed as he came out of the shadows with Neil, "Yeah, that's right. We made a new one."

Cronus watched as Agnon fell to the ground, and looked at the place where he chained Lena up to find that she was missing. "Looking for me?" Lena asked as she used her staff as a pole vault and kicked him in the face. "Pay back's a bitch Cronus."

"It won't end like this." He snapped his fingers and they heard Annette's chain snap.

Lena looked up in terror, only to see her cousin looking calmly at her, her body curled up into a cannon ball. Lena nodded, and an orb of fire appeared around the girl shortly before she hit the lava. 'Well that's only going to last fifteen minutes.' "Now that I don't have to worry about her, prepare yourself."

"I was going to say that." Jay told her as he and Atlanta blocked the exit.

"Sorry, but he back handed me, I get to claim battle challenges today." She spotted the trap's edge under Jay's foot, it was clear he was going to pass it to someone, what she didn't know was who until Cronus lunged at her.

Cronus made his scythes appear, and lunged at Lena, who seemed to be the general cause of his anger today. She easily blocked his two scythes with her staff, but her upper arm strength was losing to his. She lost balance and ended up on her butt. When she blinked again Cronus was suddenly across the room, and Herry was helping her up. "Sorry we're late."

"Better late than never." Now that the eight of them were together again, they launched a full on assault against Cronus. Archie kept destroying the scythes Cronus kept recreating, while Theresa and Atlanta kept up an onslaught of rocks falling from the ceiling. Jay, Herry and Lena were trying to lead Cronus into their trap. Lena was counting the amount of minutes left, fifteen had turned into twelve, twelve had turned into ten, ten turned into eight and eight had turned into five quickly.

Cronus was beginning to get desperate, and desperation was not something he was used to feeling. He did what any desperate person would do, he lunged at the weakest link, and of the four in front of him Lena was the weakest. Somehow she managed block his attack again but she was still weaker when it came to upper arm strength.

She was fighting a losing battle, and she knew it. That's when she heard a scoff, _"__Some knight you are.__"_Annette told her. _"__Giving up like this isn__'__t like you, Lena. Are you just going to let me die a painful death, what happened to growing old together?__"_

Lena opened her eyes and they were shining, she laughed. "What happened to you not wanting to get old?" She asked aloud as she found her center, and used it against him.

Archie, Herry and Jay watched with interest as the spirals of flame began circling the feet of the girl who was facing off with the God. The spirals began to move upwards; soon they were covering her legs, and then her waist. As she found the strength to fend off Cronus, and the spirals of flame were making their way up to her hands she lowered herself from the battle, causing Cronus to lose what balance he had in this desperate state of his. She kicked him in the gut with all she had, sending him stumbling backwards and on the brink of falling into the portal thingy leading straight to his cell in Tartarus. Jay smirked, "Well Cronus say to Campe for us."

"We'll miss you." Neil admitted.

"We definitely do not have time for goodbyes." Theresa told them.

Jay nodded, "Then do you want to do us the honors?"

"Gladly." Theresa crouched low and kicked Cronus' still unbalanced feet out from him causing him to fall into the portal, which Atlanta quickly closed.

"Well…" Lena started, "That's…OH SHIT ANNETTE!" She pulled off her bag, coat and pants. She placed a barrier around her as she dived into the lava.

Jay's PMR went off, and he answered while keeping a hand on Herry to prevent him from going after Lena. "Hey Hermes."

"Campe just called to confirm that Cronus is throwing a tantrum in his cell. But that there's no need to worry because there is no way he's getting out any time soon." Hermes told him, "You kids have done it, you completed the Prophesy!"

Lena swam through the lava looking for that small orb which contained Annette in it. That's when she saw it a black and gold pendant guiding her way. She placed a hand through the ball of flame and her hand was met by a cooler one. She spread her barrier to cover the girl inside the ball of fire, and when it was safe for Annette to move the ball disappeared. Annette hugged Lena gratefully and when she pulled away she was smiling. Lena felt a bubble explode behind her, and her posture stiffened. This place was about to explode, that's when Lena began pulling Annette through the lava.

Jay noticed that the bubbles on the lava were beginning to pop, and the temperature was beginning to rise. He watched as Annette got herself thrown onto the solid ground and Lena climbed out, gasping. "This place is about to blow, we need to get going." She told them.

"Hermes has a portal waiting for us outside, let's hurry." Jay nodded.

Lena grabbed Annette's hand and the stuff she dropped. She began running, having Annette stumble behind her. "Neil!" Lena called. Neil paused, and looked back. Lena was already pushing Annette towards him. "Take her, I'll cover us."

Neil nodded, "Alright." He took Annette's hand.

Lena counted the heads in front of her; eight. "That's everybody." They escaped the volcano and the portal was just ahead. She watched Odie trip over something, she rushed to his side. "You alright?"

"I think it's sprained." He hissed.

"Because we're running out of time I'll quickly heal it, but you have to promise to get Chiron to look at it after." He nodded and she channeled healing energy into it. "How's that?"

He wiggled his foot and winced a bit. "It still hurts but I should be able to walk."

"Good." She pulled him up with her, but then noticed a village by the water. Her eyes widened.

"Lena?" He asked. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine let's get you to Chiron." She helped him to the portal where Jay was waiting, her thoughts clouded her mind, and the village clouded her vision. She nodded to Jay as she handed Odie to him. 'Rhiannon,' her thoughts projected to the dragon she knew could hear her, 'Come to your mistress.'

The dragon looked up from her spot near Chiron and leapt up as she heard her mistress' call. "Rhiannon!" Chiron called after her but it was pointless she couldn't hear him. She bounded to Hermes room, and through the portal just before it closed.

"Where's Lena?" Herry asked.

"She was right behind us." Jay looked around.

Annette began to panic, "We have to go back and get her!"

"It's no good the portal won't open!" Hermes told her.

"We have to get her!" Neil's hand wrapped around her waist, as Annette pounded against the portal door, and he pulled her into his chest. "She'll die!" She sobbed.

Hermes tried another location, "I can open a portal near the town that's there."

Jay nodded, "Odie will you be fine here on your own?"

"Go bring her back." Odie told him.

He nodded, "This is our final mission our goal is to bring Lena home alive." They hopped into the portal and headed into the village. The people were panicked, that much is obvious. Jay called into the crowd of rushing people, "Everyone please calm down we're here to help with evacuation!" They began helping people into the boats.

"What's that?" Herry asked. They all looked towards the volcano where they could see three pillars of light and an almost transparent film between them.

"A barrier." Theresa told him, "A very large barrier."

"She's trying to buy us some time, let's not waste it." Jay told them.

"She's not just trying to by us some time she's trying to stop it." Annette told them.

Lena out a labored breath, putting up that barrier was harder than she thought. 'Now calm yourself, for a séance you need to be calm.' She let out another breath, "I call upon the spirits of those from the past, spirits from my bloodline. I ask you to please lend me your strength!"

"That is a lot of ghosts." Archie said. "What? Everyone was thinking it."

"Do you think Karen and Richard are up there with her?" Herry asked.

"I think Richard and Karen were the first ones to show up." Atlanta told him as she helped an elderly couple into one of the boats.

"Do you guys hear that?" Jay asked.

"Hear what?" Neil asked.

"Exactly. I think she did it." Jay smiled, but his smile was short lived. The next thing they saw was the girl who had just saved them fall off of her dragon mount.

"LENA!" Annette cried.

"We did it." Lena smiled, as her world blurred and the only thing she felt as her world went dark was the rushing of the wind through her hair as she plummeted off of Rhiannon to the ground several kilometer's below.

A few days later:

She opened her eyes to the now overly familiar scorch marked ceiling, and she slowly sat up. She didn't notice the extra people in her room; she just clutched her head as if it would ease the throbbing there. "Ohh…I rather thought I would wake up dead or not wake up at all as the case may be."

"Don't quote Zevran at me!" Annette told her, causing her to jump.

"Ah! When did you get here? You aren't planning to slap me are you?" Lena asked suddenly worried.

"I'll go get the others." Herry said.

"Was I drunk when I went to sleep? Because I feel like I have the worst hangover ever." Lena asked.

"Drunk on power maybe! What were you thinking?" Annette paused in her verbal assault and spoke quietly. "I'm glad you're awake."

"She's not the only one." Jay said as he and the others walked in the room.

"Hey guys." Lena said, "I'll start packing as soon as I can so it's alright for you guys to go home, since we're done with Cronus we don't need to stay here anymore right?"

They looked at her confused, "Lena we're not going anywhere. Well at least not until graduation." Jay explained, "It's too late in the semester to transfer schools and we thought there'd be no point going through all that hassle of moving when finals are coming up. So we all agreed that it would be best to stick it out here until the end of the school year."

Lena paused, and opened her mouth but nothing came out. She tried again trying to phrase the words in her head, "Well…that's…surprising." She nodded to herself slightly deciding that was the best way to put it.


	22. Graduation Part One

(A/N: Chapter Twenty! It's split into two parts because it'd be insanely long other wise. So enjoy!)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans belongs to it's legal owners.

Chapter 20: Graduation Part One

Time left until Grad: Three Weeks

Odie looked around at the group of couples at the table, and he blew bubbles into his bottle of pop through his straw. He was the odd man out and that irritated him severely.

"Are you studying about playing piano? I thought you were the musical prodigy." Annette asked, causing Lena to look up from her book.

"I'm not studying how to play piano; I'm studying how to compose music. Hera asked me to play a song for grad, and when I asked her which one she went all cryptic on me and was all like 'one from your heart'." Lena told her, that when she noticed Odie's scowl, she tilted her head to the side. "Odie what's wrong?"

Odie stood up and slammed his hands down on the table, "That's it! I'm not going to grad!"

"What? Why not?" Jay asked, surprised by his sudden outburst.

"Look around you, Jay. I'm the ninth wheel! I'm sick of it!" Odie began ranting.

Annette whispered to Lena, "What about that girl from computer class?"

"Oh crap…right sorry Odie!" Lena admitted, stopping Odie mid rant.

"What are you sorry about?" Odie asked suddenly confused.

"I completely forgot. Do you remember Sarah from our English class last semester?"

"Who?" He asked.

She sighed, "Five foot four, dark skin, raven black hair, extremely quiet but extremely smart? You'd know her if you saw her. Anyways, she's in our computer class and we happened to become friends, mostly because I have no idea what's going on in that class."

"Isn't your computer class at a grade ten level?" Odie raised an eyebrow.

"She's helping out as a teacher's assistant to earn extra credits, during her spare…not the point, the point is I sincerely think she's interested in you."

"What really?" They all looked at her.

She nodded, "I think the exact way she asked if you were single was 'Are you possibly dating Odie?' and then when I said no, she asked, 'Do you know if he's seeing anyone?' Most girls don't ask that unless they're at least interested in someone."

"It's true." Theresa said, remembering when she asked Atlanta that same question about Jay.

Odie glared at Lena, who used her lunch tray as shield in case Odie decided to throw something at her. "I'm sorry! I forgot! Short attention span is short!" She looked up to the second floor of the cafeteria. "Ooh there she is." She grinned.

"Wait Lena! I'm not ready!" Odie reached out a hand to stop her but it was too late.

"Sarah!" She called out to the girl sitting by herself reading a text book. The girl jumped and then looked down, waving. "You free?" She winked and the girl blushed and nodded. Lena got up to meet her at the stairs.

"She makes friends with the least expectant people." Archie stated, slightly surprised.

They went silent when they heard a smaller quiet voice, "But I'm surprised to see you here, Annette said you wouldn't be back until next week at the earliest."

"I'm fine, it was a just bit of exhaustion from partying that weekend." Lena laughed.

"You need to stop drinking; you'll be an alcoholic before your twenty. But I heard your composing a song for grad that's amazing!"

"Please, at this rate I won't be able to finish by grad." They stood in front of the table, and Sarah seemed to shrink behind Lena. "Everyone this Sarah. Sarah this is everyone." Sarah waved shyly. Lena smiled, and began going around the circle, "We've got Archie, Atlanta, and then Neil. You know Annette, then my stuff, and my boyfriend Herry." She gave him a quick hug. "Then we've got Jay and Theresa, and of course you know Odie." She stood behind him, and gave him a light push, and whispered. "Well say something."

"Um…hi?" Odie blushed.

"Ugh!" Lena groaned, and went up to them. She took Odie's left hand and Sarah's right and put the two together. She pulled her hands back when she felt a jolt of static go through them. That's when she got a look at the bigger picture, everyone at the table and the two standing in front of her, there was a stirring inside of her and a melody started playing in her head. She gathered her stuff quickly, "Annette I need the key to the apartment, and can you stay at the dorm tonight?"

Annette gave her the key, "Umm kay?"

"Thank you." She began heading out of the cafeteria.

Jay stood up and called after her, "Lena! What about class?"

"Cover for me!" She left before he could argue with her.

Theresa moved his lunch tray before his head met the table and he groaned, then muttered, "If we don't hear from her within the next two days someone's going to have to check to make sure she's still alive."

Annette smirked, "Don't worry I've got you covered. I know where she hides the spare key in her room."

Time left until Grad: Two weeks

School had let out for finals, so the young heroes were at home studying. "It's quiet…almost too quiet." Jay said looking around nervously.

"What do you think she's doing up there?" Theresa asked.

"Aren't you two supposed to be studying?" Odie asked, getting ready to leave.

"What about you?" Jay raised an eyebrow.

He grinned. "I have a study date with Sarah."

There was a loud exploding sound and then Lena stumbled out of her room, coughing. The smoke billowed ominously out of her room; she looked down at the three who had gathered in the hallway with tears in her eyes. "Odie…"

"Fine I'll look at it quickly before I go, but you may have to wait until after I get back to fix it." Odie sighed and walked into the smoke infested room. "Sheesh! What on Earth are you working so hard on that you…completely fried the sound board!"

"Sorry…" She whispered.

"It's alright, but whatever you're working on will have until after we're able to buy a new one." He told her.

"Tomorrow?" She looked hopeful.

He raised an eyebrow, "You have an exam tomorrow."

"I do?" She asked, and looked at the calendar. "Crap…I NEED TO STUDY!"

"Good luck." He nodded and turned, closing the door behind him.

Jay chuckled, "Only she would forget that she had an exam tomorrow. Now wait for it…"

They heard a crash and an exclamation of pain, and then Lena opened her door, tripping over her bag strap which was now on the floor. "Jay! Theresa! Please help me study!"

"There it is." Jay told Theresa.

Jay and Theresa looked at each other, slightly worried. They knew that Lena was hearing what they were saying, but her notes were coming out as musical piece's and not science notes. "Ummm…Lena?" Jay asked.

Lena shook her head, and looked up. "Yeah."

"What's this?" He held up one of her pieces of paper.

She glanced at the paper, "Oh! Crap! Even though I asked you to help me study."

Theresa picked up another piece, and began humming it, causing Lena to blush. Theresa's face began to get red as the tone began to sound like moans and whimpers more importantly they were beginning to sound a lot like her moans and whimpers. "Lena what's this?"

She squirmed, "Well…for one it'll sound better on piano and two it's hard to capture passion, and love in music without lyrics…"

"We spend half an hour trying to help you study…and you end up writing smutty music." Theresa sighed.

"Sorry…I think I need to get some fresh air." She ran a hand through her hair, got up, gathered her stuff, including the music, and left through the kitchen door.

"Whatever she's working on must be pretty important…but I'm surprised she got the pitch of your moans right." Jay looked at her, smirking. The blush on Theresa's face increased and she pushed him off the arm of the couch.

Time left until Grad: 2 days

Lena checked off the list of things she had finished, she was all packed; she looked at the list of music on her computer, and smiled sadly. She had three things left to do, finish that piece for grad, then finish her graduation presents for the others, and finally tell Herry that she was leaving the day after the graduation ceremony. She tried to stifle the pain in her heart, and instead channeled the sorrow into finishing that piece of music. She channeled the pain of having to say goodbye; the pain of not knowing whether they'll ever see each other again, and mostly the pain of parting with a loved one. They all flowed through her, making her fingers slide sadly across the keyboard, but she didn't stop not when tears spilled from her eyes, or when her body started to shake from withheld sobs that wracked at her throat wanting to be let out.

Herry walked to Lena's room where she seemed to lock herself away recently. He knocked lightly and opened the door slightly. He saw a shaking Lena, pull away from her keyboard gasping. She placed her head against the edge of the desk as her headphones slipped off of her on their own accord. "Lena?" He asked quietly.

"Oh Herry!" She sat up quickly, and tried to look as calm as possible, but not quite managing it. "You scared me, what's up?"

"You alright?" He asked as he walked in and closed the door.

She ran her hand through her hair, "I'm fine, just got a little too into playing that's all. I finally finished that piece for grad too."

"Then do you have some spare time?" He asked hopefully.

She looked around at the papers covering her desk and floor, "Yeah I've got some time."

"Then do you perhaps want to go on a drive…with me?" He looked away and blushed slightly.

"I would be honored to." She stood but her knees buckled and she ended up in his arms.

"Does this count as making you fall for me?" He asked, chuckling.

She looked up, and grinned. "Not at all." Her heart gave a tiny squeeze, "But I still love you."

He leaned down, keeping their lips millimeters apart then whispered. "I know." He closed the distance, making her melt in his arms, and leaving all else forgotten about.

Time left until Grad: 1 and a half hours

Lena ran down the hall, away from Aphrodite's room, where her nymphs were helping the girls get ready. Her nylons helped her slide down the marble flooring, and she listened to the angry screams following her. "LENA GET BACK HERE!" Theresa yelled.

"Hell no! My balance is bad enough already!" She called back. She turned down another hall, and could see the guys walking through the portal.

"Lena?" Herry asked surprised to see her running towards them wearing a lacy white slip that went down to her mid-thigh and black nylons.

She hid behind him, "Hide me!"

"Why?" He asked.

"Because they are trying to get me into three inch heels and my balance is bad enough! As cute as they are I don't feel like dying today." She told him.

Theresa turned the corner, "Have you guys seen Lena?"

"Us?" Jay looked around, "I haven't, have you guys?"

They all shook their heads, and Theresa watched as Rhiannon proved that they were lying, by sniffing out Lena's location. "Haven't seen her huh? The dragon says otherwise." Theresa raised an eyebrow. "Come on Lena. I bought those heels specifically for that dress and now you are going to put them on without any more argument!"

"But I have to walk up stairs!" She peaked out from behind Herry.

"Herry do you think you could?" Theresa asked.

He shrugged, "Sure." He turned, and smiled apologetically, "Sorry Lena." He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Herry!" Her hands frantically went to hold down the edge of her slip. "Wait! My panties will show!"

"And that is the clear sign that you didn't think this through." He looked at her slightly. "So…what color are they today?"

She blushed passionately, "Blue…and if I am correct I am turning you into a pervert."

"You make it seem like it's a bad thing for a perfectly healthy eighteen year old boy to be curious about the color of his girlfriend's panties."

"I never said it was a bad thing." She told him as they walked towards where Theresa waited.

He put her down, and kissed her forehead, "Be good, I'll see you soon alright?"

"Fine, I'll try not to twist my ankle." She pouted.

"If that happens I'll just carry you." He smirked, and lifted her chin placing a quick kiss on her lips.

Her pout deepened as he pulled away, "Promises, promises."

Theresa sighed, "Lena, come on, we don't have all night!"

"Alright, I'll see you later." She turned and walked towards where Aphrodite lay in wait. "I think this is more dangerous than that time we ate Atlanta's cooking." She muttered as she walked into the room with Theresa.

Time Remaining: 30 minutes

Lena let out a sigh as one of the Nymphs put the finishing touches on her hair. She looked at Atlanta who was worrying in front of a mirror. "I look strange!" Atlanta told them.

"You look fine. How do I know? Because we made that dress to fit you perfectly." Lena told her.

"You sure I don't look strange?" She stumbled a little in her heels, still unused to them.

"What better color for the huntress, then forest green?" Lena asked as she stood nearly falling back down in her chair.

Atlanta thumbed the spaghetti straps of her dress, "But isn't it a little bit too girly for me? I mean I haven't worn a dress in like ever, and I can't even walk in these heels."

"At least you have some balance," Annette told her, gesturing to Lena. "She can barely stand."

"You all look gorgeous!" Aphrodite gushed.

"You're still the best looking in here Aphrodite." Lena winked.

"And don't I know it!" She laughed.

Theresa walked in, with a hand held mirror in her hand, checking if she needed any touch ups. Her long purple dress flowed behind her, "The guys are waiting for us, are we ready?"

"That depends you going to help us walk out of here?" Lena asked.

Theresa looked at Annette, "I'll help Atlanta if you help Lena."

"Deal." Annette nodded.

Lena let out a whimper as they turned the corner, "The moment we sit down I am taking these things off."

"I agree." Atlanta looked at her and nodded.

Theresa nodded, "I'm fine with that as long as you make it to the table first."

"And I'm telling you Lena would win because she can summon the spirits of the dead." Archie told Jay.

"No Hera would win because she has the rest of the Gods at her disposal." Jay told him.

Lena shook her head and coughed, "Hera would win because I'd chicken out last minute."

The guys turned and their jaws dropped. Neil was the first one to react, "You better be single because damn girl you look good." He smiled, and took Annette's hand.

"I'm actually waiting for someone, he's tall, blond, and has insanely blue eyes. Have you seen him?" Annette smirked, as their lips met.

"Seriously? While I'm right here? Really?" Lena looked at the two of them. "Gag." She looked around, "Where's Herry?"

Archie and Jay looked at each other than shrugged as they went to Theresa and Atlanta. Lena shook her head, and then decided it felt a little too awkward standing in between the three couples. She took a couple of steps, and seemed to be okay, this wasn't the first time she had walked in heels after all. She stumbled a bit, and then fell, only to be caught by Herry. "Look's like I arrived just in time."

"Hi." She looked up at him and smiled.

"Wow…you look beautiful." He whispered.

"Come on guys, Odie's probably waiting for us already." Jay told them.

"Where is Odie anyways?" Lena asked, suddenly aware that he was missing.

Archie shrugged as Atlanta took his arm, "He said he was going to go meet up with Sarah."

"I'm glad things are working out between those two." She admitted as they walked out of the portal.

Herry miraculously found a place to park in the overcrowded parking lot, and they got out of the truck, except for Lena, who looked down at the distance between the truck and the ground. She looked back and forth between that distance and back at her heels. 'You aren't going to die; this is like every other time getting out of Herry's truck, except you weren't wearing the deadliest heels in all of existence.'

"You coming Lena?" Annette asked.

Lena looked up and waved, "Go on ahead. I'll be right behind you."

Herry walked over to where she was sitting and whispered, "If you needed help you should have said so." He reached his arms out for her.

"No! It's embarrassing!" She cried.

He raised an eyebrow, "No one's going to judge you for needing help getting out of the truck while you're in three inch heels."

"Kay…" She whispered as he helped out of the truck, and she clung to his arm as they walked to where the others waited. "Don't let me fall okay?"

He chuckled, "Don't worry I won't."

"We ready?" Jay asked.

"For these death traps to come off? Yes. Let's go." Lena nodded.

They walked into the building, and spotted Odie waiting for them with Sarah. "Wow, took you guys long enough." Odie said with smile.

"Sarah!" Lena called, hugging the girl. "They put me in heels! This is torture!"

"There, there." She said in her quiet voice. "We're almost there." She pulled Lena off her gently. "You'll ruin your make up if you start crying now."

"You have a point," Lena said while regaining her posture, wobbling back slightly. "I did not spend the past hour and a half in a chair to ruin my makeup now…later maybe…but not now." She paused, and then looked back, "Let's get to our table, mostly because I want these death traps off."

"Agreed!" Atlanta called from behind her.

"You're going to play piano barefoot?" Sarah asked.

"I have nylons on, although I have played barefoot once. I was about five, it was cold and felt weird…I've learned my lesson. Plus I have a set of flats in my bag, so we're good." She admitted.

"What bag?" Annette asked, looking her over.

She looked down, and then tried to remember where her bag was, "The bag I left in…" Her voice dropped down to a whisper, so Sarah couldn't hear, "Aphrodite's salon."

"Smooth." Annette told her.

"So performing in nylons it is." They took their table by the stage, where Hera was waiting for them before starting. Lena looked around and spotted their mentors dressed in mortal clothes. "Guys, over there." She bit her lip to keep from breaking out in laughter from Apollo's bright yellow suit.

Jay took a calming breath, "Wait guys! We shouldn't laugh they've been our mentors for almost three years now."

"But that suit!" Lena's body was now shaking with laughter.

That's when Hera spoke, "Thank you all for coming here today."

They watched as the valedictorian made his speech, and the ceremonies continued. Somehow Lena kept herself from yawning, maybe because Hera was almost constantly on stage or maybe it was because she was with the most amazing people in the world. The hour passed by pretty quickly, and the next thing she knew she was being called up onto the stage. "Now for our final performance, one of our own students has composed a piece for us tonight. Let's all welcome Lena Raregrove to the stage."

"See…" She looked at Odie, "It's legal." She walked up the stairs to the stage, but received a strange look from Hera. "What?" She whispered.

The goddess flicked off the microphone, "Where are your shoes?"

"Well I forgot my spare pair in Aphrodite's salon, and the ones Theresa bought me are deadly. Their under the table in case you were actually wondering." Hera just looked at her skeptically, "You know how bad my balance is already right?" She nodded, "Add another dangerous three inches to that and bam! I end up with a sprained ankle."

"Okay go play your song," Lena went to sit down, but was stopped. "Wait what's it called?" Lena told her the title, and Hera turned on the microphone, "The song she's playing is called Unexpected Meetings, Incidents, and Romances." Clapping ensued, and Lena waited for it to die down before starting.

She captured the essence of her life with everyone. Starting at her meeting Jay, and then going to the day they held a party for when she recovered, to her challenging Jay's feelings for Theresa. Then to their day at the beach, followed by their anger from that summer, and continuing to the shock of Herry kissing her that night in the kitchen. To the happiness of them getting together, which was followed by her scared feeling's of having frozen him, followed by their intense kiss that same night. The tune spiraled dangerously to capture her feelings about meeting Daryl again but then made a crescendo to the elated feeling of her finding out that Rhiannon was alive. Which followed to the painful feeling that winter had brought, but then it told the tale of them rescuing Annette. Quickly followed by the anger of Cronus trying to capture her, and then to his defeat. The song paused briefly, but then became softer and sadder reflecting her feelings about parting ways.

Annette let out a noise, and tilted her head up, "I'm gonna start crying! Neil what do I do?"

"Don't start crying! You'll ruin your makeup!" He told her.

Herry watched as Lena closed her eyes, letting the tears that built up there roll down her cheeks. He watched as she let out a tiny puff of breath, and then ended the song on a lighter note, leaving promise of a brighter future. She stood and bowed, but there was only silence. He was the first one to stand and give her a standing ovation.

Lena felt the glares of almost every girl in the room on her for threatening to ruin their makeup. She clenched her eyes tightly, concerned filled her as the room staying incredibly silent. 'Was it that bad?' She had poured her heart out into that song, all of the feelings her friends had given her over the past year and a half, came pouring out when she left the cafeteria that day. She looked up when she first heard a lone clapping, and saw Herry standing there, followed by everyone else at their table. This was followed by their mentors, then like a tidal wave the people in the room stood up and began clapping for her. She looked at Herry and mouthed "I love you."

"Now wasn't that amazing, that was Lena Raregrove with Unexpected Meetings, Incidents and Romance." Hera said wiping a lone tear from her eyes.

Lena hopped down the stairs and jumped into Herry's open arms. She grinned, "That's the first time I've ever gotten a standing ovation. But sheesh the girls here are angry, I could feel their glares as they tried to keep themselves from crying."

"Lena, that was beautiful." A female voice told her.

She looked up from the crook of Herry's neck, "Auntie Diana?"


	23. Graduation Part Two

(A/N: Chapter twenty part two! Yay! Only two more chapters left (after this one) So the remaining bits of chapter Twenty are free to be read. Enjoy!)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans belongs to it's legal owners.

Chapter 20: Graduation Part Two

Lena maneuvered herself out of Herry's arms, to make sure that the woman standing behind them wasn't a dream. "Auntie Diana? What are you doing here?" She pinched herself, "Ouch. It's not a dream; you're really here, at my graduation ceremony…How? Why? I mean I'm not ungrateful that you took time out of your busy schedule to come here…I'm just a little confused."

"You mean you didn't send us a letter with tickets in it?"

Lena shook her head then shot a look at the table where the Gods were sitting, and she noticed that Hermes wouldn't look at her and seemed to be whistling. Archie and Jay looked at each other, and whispered. "Hermes or Lena?"

Lena looked at them with a sigh, then turned back to her Aunt, "Wait you said us, who else is here?"

"Albert and Nathaniel had some time off so he came too." She admitted.

Herry took Lena's hand, clearly wanting to be introduced. "Ah crap! Right being rude. Auntie Diana, these are my friends, I've been in their care for over the past year and a half. Everyone this is my aunt Diana Raregrove, she raised me until I was about four." Herry gave her hand another squeeze, and blush colored her face, "Um Auntie this is Herry, he's…well…my… boyfriend."

Diana laughed, "That explains so much; no wonder Albert was so worried about you when he came home. He kept muttering about some guy stealing your heart…but poor Nathaniel will be heartbroken."

"Oh? And why is that?" Herry asked.

Diana smiled from the fond memories, "Because they were attached at the hips as children, and sometimes I would even find them asleep in the same bed together."

"Alright Auntie please stop with the stories." Lena pleaded.

Diana pouted, "Fine, but at least come and say hello before you disappear again." She told Lena sternly.

"Okay then, let's go, before you make more holes in my relationship." She muttered nearly pushing the older woman.

Herry looked at the table, then back at Lena's form now disappearing through the crowd. He dashed after Lena, more than just interested in meeting this Nathaniel. Jay, Theresa, Archie, Atlanta and Annette looked at each other, "We're going to follow them right?" Theresa asked.

"Yup." Jay nodded as they chased after Herry.

Odie and Sarah looked at each other, and he shrugged. "Lena's love life…more interesting than television drama."

"Apparently…you feel like going after them?" Sarah grinned, and Odie nodded. The two got up, leaving Neil at the table alone.

Neil looked up from his mirror, and then looked around. "Where'd everyone go? Don't leave me alone! You know what fine! I'll stay here and watch the stuff." He said with a firm pout on his lips.

Lena looked back to see Herry, "Why are you following?" She hissed.

"Am I not allowed to want to meet my girlfriend's family?" He asked, catching up to her.

She looked at him and frowned, "Please don't start anything. These are the only family members, that I have left alive, that haven't tried to kill me."

"Who said anything about starting anything?" Herry asked.

'You're body language is doing enough of talking for you!' Her mind screamed, but then smiled as she approached the table where her Uncle and Nate were sitting. "Wow, it's been a while since we've all been under the same roof." She admitted out loud. "Um Uncle, Nate…This is Herry, my boyfriend."

"Well it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Albert stood and they shook hands.

"Likewise." Herry openly admitted.

Nate stood, with a curt smile and he shook hands with Herry. Lena could feel the tension in the room rise. It didn't help when she heard Archie say, "We could really use some popcorn." She watched as the testosterone level in the area raised itself high enough to make her hair stand on edge.

She threw their hands in the air, "That is enough!" She demanded when she couldn't handle it anymore. "This is childish! You!" She looked at Herry, "There is no need to be jealous! And you!" She turned to Nate, "I need to yell at you come with me." She took his wrist and dragged him out of the room.

"Oooh, you made her angry…" Atlanta said. "So when she gets back, guys with guys and girls with girls?"

"I should probably get back to the table," Annette admitted, "We did kind of left Neil without saying anything."

"This is true." Jay said.

"Jay!" He turned to see his mother coming towards them.

"Well I need to go talk to her so she doesn't worry. I'll see you at the table later." He then looked at Theresa, "You want to come and meet my parents? Or are you good?"

She took his hand, and smiled kindly. "Well since you've already had the pleasure of meeting my dad…I suppose I could meet your parents."

Archie and Atlanta looked at each other, "Wait…" Archie started, "If Jay's parents are here, then that means…"

"That ours are probably here too." Atlanta finished. "We'll see you guys at the table." They went off in different directions, desperate to see their parents after almost three years.

Odie, Sarah and Annette looked at each other. "Want to head back to the table?" Annette asked and the other two nodded.

Herry was standing there shocked but then he remembered that Lena's Aunt and Uncle were standing in front of him. "Can you tell me what she was like as a child, please?" He asked.

"Of course sit down." Diana waved him over.

Lena returned to where Herry sat with her Uncle and Aunt about half an hour later, "Please tell me you aren't telling him embarrassing stories about me are you?"

"Of course not, we were just telling him about that time you were four…" Diana stopped when Lena held up her hand.

"Any time before I was out of training pants is embarrassing Auntie." Lena told her.

"But you were so cute back then." Nate said, "What happened?"

"That's what I want to know." She shook her head and looked at Herry, "Where are the others?"

"They went off to find their parents." He told her. "But Annette, Odie, Sarah and Neil should be at the table."

"Kay, I'm going to find Annette and hit the dance floor, until the rest of you are ready to head back to the dorm." She told him then looked at her relatives. "And you two, stop telling him embarrassing stories." She turned and headed back to their table. She sat down with a sigh.

"You alright?" Sarah asked.

"Tired…Where are Annette and Neil?" She asked as she suddenly noticed that they were missing.

"Dance floor." Sarah told her, while Lena slumped down in her chair with another sigh.

It took another two hours to get everyone back at the table, where Lena seemed to be completely withered away, while she watched their stuff. Annette poked her, "Lena…you alive?"

"No. Can we go home now?" She asked.

"Yes. We're going." Jay told her.

"Did Auntie and Uncle leave?" She asked.

Herry touched her face, and she looked at him, "They came to say goodbye, but you clearly weren't paying attention."

"Wait does this mean I have to put my shoes on again?" She asked as she picked them up by the laces.

Herry picked her up and carried her princess style, "No I'll carry you."

"I'm going to take Sarah home first; I'll meet you at the dorm." Odie told them.

"I can't come with you?" Sarah asked.

Odie looked at her, "I promised your dad I'd have you home by midnight, and I would really prefer to stay on his good side, mostly because he scares me." He took her hand, and they walked out of the room, waving to the group.

Jay looked at the others, "Shall we get going?"

They arrived back at the dorm, and were celebrating with a few drinks. "Cheers to us for beating Cronus, and making it through high school. Both are pretty impressive tasks." Jay said.

"Well for those of us that did graduate." Lena looked at Annette.

"What?" She downed her shot, "I'm indulging in celebrating your guy's graduation."

Lena downed her shot, "As if I'd have it any other way."

But she couldn't get the conversation that she had with Nate out of her head, _"__My plane will be leaving tomorrow at six, and I want you to be on it with me.__"_He had told her, while they were talking about that school in England. _"__You could do great things there, you could become famous in the music industry, and that dream of becoming a famous piano player could come true.__"_

Theresa's voice brought her out her stupor, "Lena, are you alright?"

Lena laughed halfheartedly, "I think I'm going to go clean my face." She headed up the stairs.

The clock slowly ticked by but still there was no sign of Lena returning, fifteen minutes turned into thirty. Herry smiled, and said "I'm going to go look for her; she might have passed out in the bathroom." It wouldn't have been the first time, and they all knew that. He headed up the stairs and straight to the roof where he knew she'd be. He opened the door, "Lena?"

"There's this school, in England, and they're offering me a twenty four hundred thousand dollar scholarship, just to attend there for four years." She told him while she gazed at the full moon, pulling out the final bobby pin in her hair, letting the wind catch it. "It's a great opportunity for me, or at least that's what everyone keeps saying."

"And what is that what you want?" He asked.

"Annette's told me to go for it, she said she'd be fine as long as I remembered to send her money, and she's got Neil watching over her, although that worries me slightly." She told him evading his question.

"That's not what I asked." He told her.

She took a deep breath, "This will be an excellent opportunity for me to learn more about piano."

"Lena." He walked closer to her, and he pulled her into his chest tightly. She was shaking, but not because she was cold. He pulled her backwards, and laid down waiting for her to join him. She lay beside him, but left her back facing him. She stifled the sobs that threatened to escape from her throat, and she was doing a good job until it became too much. A sob escaped her mouth and her hands moved to cover her mouth before he realized that she was crying. "Lena?" He rolled over and his hand touched her cheek and felt the tears there. He pulled her into his arms, holding her closely.

"I…I don't want to separate from everyone! I don't want to say goodbye!" She told him, as he rolled on his back taking her with him, so she was resting on his chest. "I don't want everyone to leave! I want to stay here! I want to stay with everyone! But this is too great to pass up, and that is a lot of money…"

He laughed softly, "Do you remember when you told me to stop making you fall more in love with me?"

"I remember, although you seem insistent on ignoring it." She looked up at him.

He smiled kindly, but then moved so that she was half under him, her head now rested on his arm. "I won't stop making you fall in love with me. I intend on making you do just that, so that whenever you look at some other guy you'll think of me. I get jealous because I want you all to myself. I don't want other guys looking at you because I'm possessive. The more and more I realize this the more I worry that I'm going to go too far and you'll leave. Before I realized it, before I understood what this pounding was in my chest, I had fallen in love with you. More and more with each time you call my name, with every smile, even the slightest touches sent my heart aching for more." He looked in her eyes and whispered, "I love you." Despite how quiet it sounded the words rung out true in the air. He pressed his forehead to hers, and then their lips met.

She kissed him back hungrily, but soon kissing led to the gentle caresses that he had become so good at. Clothes were discarded shortly after, and everything but them was forgotten. The fact that they were on the roof didn't matter, because for now they were together. They both knew that she would be leaving soon, and all they wanted tonight was each other, nothing else in the world mattered.

Theresa and Jay walked up the stairs to the roof, while everyone else fell asleep on the living room floor. But it was their second last night together, and he wanted to spend the next day and a half with her doing whatever she wanted, as long as he could be with her while she did it. She placed a hand on the doorknob, and pulled away she caught glimpses of what was happening on the other side of it. "You know what? Let's forgot the roof for tonight."

"Why?" Jay asked, not understanding her reasoning. "I thought that you wanted to…"

"That was before I realized that Lena and Herry were up here." She told him.

"Oh…oh! Um…now where?" He stuck his hand in his pocket, checking if the cold round piece of metal was still in there.

She took his hand and led him to his room, "For tonight I want to be held close, and have sweet nothings whispered to me while we fall asleep…" She told him with a grin.

Herry pulled away from Lena and lay beside her again. Both of their chests heaved, and their breathing was ragged. The chilled night air was refreshing on their heated skin. He pulled her close, and she snuggled into him, savoring everything about him. When her breathing went back to normal, she laughed "Did we just do that?"

"Yup." His hand stroked her hair.

"On the roof?"

"Yes, we just made love on the roof." He told her.

"I love you." She whispered, that's when she realized that her left ring finger felt heavier than usual. She brought the hand into her view, and noticed the thin gold band sitting on her ring finger. "When did that get there?"

"While I had you completely distracted and writhing underneath me." He told her as he took her hand in his. "It's just a promise ring. It's not much, and it was made by Hephaestus but I wanted you know that no matter what the future may hold you will always have a place to return to."

She used her right arm to lift herself up enough so she could look him in eye. She knew that the blush on his face wasn't because of what they just did, but because of what he just told her. "Are you sure? Herry feelings can change over time, and long distance relationships never seem to work out…"

"I'm sure; I will wait for you to come back." He told her, his eyes were serious. "So…when is your flight."

"Tomorrow night at six." She told him, as she decided that she should start finding her clothes.

"Do you want me to drive you to the airport?" He asked, sitting up, while she stood looking around for her clothes.

"Have you seen my panties?" She asked avoiding his question.

"You mean this?" He twirled the tiny lace garment on his finger. "I'm surprised you wore something like this, were you hoping something would happen?"

"They were the only pair I owned that wouldn't show through the slip." She found her slip and put it on, then flung his boxers at him. "Come on, I'm cold, and I would rather not sleep on the roof tonight. Your bed on the other hand sounds perfect right now."

"Is this your way of asking to spend the night?" He smiled as he pulled on his boxers.

"Maybe…" She grinned.

The next day: 4:30 p.m.

"Lena?" Herry asked as he opened her bedroom door. The room was now empty, only the bed, now just a mattress and headboard, and her desk remained. He noticed that there were some things left on her desk. He walked over to the desk and looked at the delicate wrapping on each of them. Each one labeled for the eight of them, including Annette. He looked up at the top of the desk and noticed that the teddy bear she took from her house was sitting there, and there was a little red dot blinking in its right eye.

"Herry?" Jay asked.

Herry looked at Jay and smiled sadly, "She's gone. But she left us something." The two headed down the stairs, with the gifts. "Odie its eye's blinking." Herry told him as he held up the teddy bear.

Odie got up, and looked at the stuffed animal. He undid the back, and saw the memory card holder waiting with the memory card inside. "Seems like she left us a goodbye note." He hooked it up to the TV. He sat down in the chair and pressed play.

Lena appeared on the screen, "Hi everyone, I'm assuming that you're watching this because you realized that I've left already. The reason why I'm telling you this through teddy-cam is because I don't want to say goodbye, and I was afraid that if I did, I would lose my courage to leave you guys. I've enjoyed the past year and a half a lot, and I want you all to know that you're like family to me. Richard once told me that it's not what you do with your life but it's who you spend it with that makes life wonderful, I didn't believe him until now. Leaving you eight now is probably the hardest thing I have ever done, and I just want you to know that I love each and every one of you. I am eternally grateful to all of you; I never would have made it this far without you. So let me say thank you however I won't say goodbye, but I will say until we meet again." She paused, "Oh right, I left my PMR in my desk, mostly because I'm afraid that if I hear your voices I won't be able to continue to stay there until the next four years are over." She winked, "Now this is Lena, signing out." The screen went blank.

"Can we open these now?" Neil asked curious.

Jay nodded, "Three…two…one." They all tore off the wrapping paper, revealing a CD case and a photo album.

"And I was hoping it was something cool!" Neil frowned, and Annette hit him. "OW! What was that for?"

"For being a dick" She told him, as she looked at the back of the CD case, not recognizing any of the titles except for the first one, the song Lena played last night. "I only recognize the first title on here."

"Strange me too." Odie looked at the back of his CD case quickly.

"Well who want's to play theirs and find out?" Jay asked. They all looked at him, and he sighed. "Of course." He looked at the back of his case, and didn't see anything particularly dangerous on it, so he stuck it in.

They each listened carefully, trying to figure out what it was. Besides the first song, everything seemed to be a soundtrack of who Jay was. They seemed to find themselves nodding in memory, as if it was like they were still in battle with Cronus, and he was still their leader. About the eighth song in Theresa found herself blushing; this was the song she had hummed in while they were trying to help Lena study. _"__For one it__'__ll sound better on piano and two it__'__s hard to capture passion, and love in music without lyrics__…"_Lena had told her. She looked around and noticed that the only other person who had noticed was Jay, other than that everyone seemed to think it was another innocent little piece.

When the CD ended, they looked at each other. "These are made just for us." Atlanta said in awe.

"I just realized a small problem," Jay said, "Who's going to take care of Rhiannon?"

"I'll take her." Herry told him, "Granny's got a forest behind her house where she'll be able to stay." He said while opening the photo album, where two envelopes were waiting for him. One was bulging and the other was simply flat, he picked up the bulging one and could hear the shifting of a chain. "I'll be right back." He headed into the kitchen and opened the envelope. He pulled out the chain that was and swinging on it gently was his promise ring. There was a tiny note there, "In case you change your mind." He whispered under his breath.

The next afternoon:

Herry lay on Lena's empty bed, looking at the chain as it swung back and forth. He watched as the door opened, and Jay appeared, "Herry…it's time." He took in the situation and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm having conflicting emotions."

"Such as?"

"Whether I should be pissed off, or upset. I mean how could she do this?"

"Go off to England?"

"No, go and think I'll change my mind! Does she not trust me at all?" He huffed angrily.

Jay frowned, "Four years is a very long time Herry, a lot of things can change in that time frame. Feelings can change during that time, your feelings and her feelings. So why not think of this as a break of sorts?" He smiled, "Anyways we should probably get going."

"Yeah." Herry swung his legs over the bed, and they walked out the door.


	24. Epilogue: Part one

(A/N: And we've reached part one of the Epilogue! Yay! One more chapter to go =D)

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans belongs to it's legal owners

Epilogue: Part One: Till We Meet Again

Many things have happened since the eight heroes parted ways. Jay and Theresa had gotten married only six months after they rejoined their families, and then four months after that they were celebrating the birth of their daughter. The two are more in love now than ever. Neil became a very successful super model, and is currently living with Annette in a penthouse in New Olympia. Archie and Atlanta broke up shortly after they went their separate ways, but then found themselves in each other's arms at Jay and Theresa's wedding, Archie proposed at that very moment. Odie got into university and is now studying how to make new technology for hospitals, he is still dating Sarah.

As for Herry, luck was not in his favor, in a matter of days he lost had lost the ring, her ring. He had found the chain, but the ring was nowhere to be found. His dreams were haunted by a pale figure, with smoldering orange eyes and flowing crimson hair, wearing only the ring he had lost. When he'd suddenly wake up, he'd groan and wonder how much longer she would continue to haunt him. On more than one occasion he had to ask his friends whether or not she was real, and not something he had just dreamt up.

Before they knew it they were celebrating the three year anniversary of Cronus' defeat. They had all showed up at the school, each of them surprised that it still remained there, even after the Gods had vanished from there. But what each of them thought was that it wasn't the same without her there…

One late summer night:

"You're sure this is the place?" She asked, as she got off her motorcycle. "Because if I find out you're lying to me Odie, I'm going to be pissed."

"He's still living with Granny, now if you head to the back there's going to be a tree there, climb that tree and you'll be right at his window." Odie told her.

"What do I do if it's not open? I'll look stupid for trying to break into his house through a window where I know someone's sleeping." She asked suddenly nervous. 'What if he doesn't want to see me?' She thought, as she worried at her bottom lip.

"Worry about it tomorrow, for now there are larger things to worry about, like making sure you make it up that tree the first time without waking the neighbors." He warned her.

"Don't worry; I'm better at climbing trees than I was as three years ago." She walked up the tree and stuck her PMR on one of her belt loops. She climbed the tree, and sighed when she got up, "Hey surprisingly lucks in my favor tonight, the windows open."

"Alright, then I'll say goodbye here." He paused, "And Lena…It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be home." Lena grinned and hung up. She climbed her way to the edge of the branch that was closest to his window. "Okay, Lena, this is no different than that time you had to break into Nate's place because you lost your key…on the count of three, jump…one…two…three!" She closed the distance between her and the window, landing safely inside. 'Well that's surprising…no injuries? Yes luck is definitely on my side today.'

She walked over to the bed, somehow during the night he had managed to kick off his blankets and was only sleeping in boxers. She then noticed the earphones that had fallen out onto one of the pillows and the portable CD player they were attached to. That's when he muttered her name, clear enough to make her think that he was awake, but then he rolled and she heard his tiny snores.

'Come on Lena! Pull yourself together! All you have to do is wake him up!' She told herself, and then that cynical voice at the back of her mind told her, 'Oh yes waking up one of the strongest people on the planet, good idea. But it's your funeral.' She took a deep breath, and gently shook him, "Herry?" She whispered his name; there was no response from him. 'Gods, why am I always the one stuck waking up the heavy sleepers.' She shook him harder, "Herry." Her voice was no longer a whisper.

His eyes snapped open, "Whoa! What?"

"Calm down it's only me." She held out her hands, to make sure he realized that she wasn't anyone dangerous.

"Oh great…my dreams are now making me hallucinate." He muttered, as he pulled one of the covers over his eyes, rolling away from her.

"Herry! This isn't a hallucination! I'm right here!" She shook him again.

"Right and we're in Hawaii. I'm sorry but I don't have time deal with mind games tonight, I have to get up early tomorrow." He told her with his voice like ice; he wouldn't fall for this again.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat, "I see…I guess I'll leave then." Despite how she tried her voice still broke. She walked to the window, but paused just before jumping onto the ledge. "Umm…I'll be at my apartment this week," She looked back at him, "If you want to, stop by…but if you don't I'll go back to England without a fuss and it'll be as if I never came home."

He peaked out of the covers as he heard her pause, the smoldering orange eyes from his dream were no longer there instead they were ocean green again, and her hair was no longer flowing, instead it was pulled up into a small pony tail. He then looked down to her left ring finger, and the ring was no longer there. He sat up in realization, this wasn't a hallucination or else she would be wearing that ring. "Lena?"

She turned to look at him, "Yes, Herry?"

"You're really here? In my room?"

"Yes I'm really here, in your room at your grandmother's place." She smiled kindly.

He stuttered, "But…but…you're supposed to still be England for another year." He got out of his bed and walked towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I finished my courses early. Wait! Why do you look do confused?" She frowned.

He pinched himself. "Ow! It hurt which means that isn't a dream."

"Of course it's-" His lips smothered hers hungrily, and his hands undid her coat, pulling it off the moment he got the chance.

That's when he heard the clinking of metal, he pulled back enough to see what exactly had made that noise, and there is was: the promise ring, along with a ring a vaguely looked like a wedding ring. "I thought I had lost this…" He whispered.

"No I kept it with me, and gave you a duplicate." She whispered.

He looked in her eyes, "Why?"

"Because it was the first thing you've ever given me." She smiled, "I just couldn't wear it while I was playing, so I put it on a chain…Now we were in the middle of kissing, I did not come here for you to look at my jewelry."

He raised an eyebrow and had a devilish grin on his face, "Then what did you come here for?"

"You…" She hesitated for a moment. "Well if you and I are still technically dating, that is."

"I don't ever remember agreeing to us breaking up." He kissed her again.

"I love you." She told him.

He shook his head, as he marveled in the feeling of his heart racing at those three little words, "I love you too." He whispered against her neck.

His head rested on her now barely covered lap, she had tried to pull up the sheets but his head made it there first. His hair tickled her leg, and his hand played with hers. But his eyes were looking at that second ring on her necklace. "Who's this one from, and why does it make you look like you're going off to go get married?"

"It's the ring that Richard gave to Maria on their wedding day. She gave it to me when I appeared at her house last week. It'd probably be more impressive if it was Rayne's but I have no idea what she did with it."

He blinked at her, "When did you get into the country?"

"This is my third week back, I went to Auntie's house first, for a few days then I went to the apartment. Did you know that Neil and Annette are living together? I mean I went to the apartment to go surprise her but she wasn't there all that was there was a note on the fridge from like ever ago saying she moved in with him. I'm just glad the TV was still there; well I was until I watched one of the disks labeled 'Maria and Lena.' Then I realized, despite not being blood related, she was the only mother I had ever known, and she had helped raise me. The time we went to get Annette, I had been a complete bitch to her, and after I heard about her and Raphael's divorce I decided I should go and make amends, at least. Then before I knew it a week had pretty much passed by."

"So it took you three weeks to get here?" His free hand drew circles on the small of her back.

"No it took me three weeks to decide my course of action." She let out a pleasant sigh at his touch.

"What do you mean?"

She played with a strand of his hair, "What I mean is that, they offered me a job in England." He opened his mouth but she stopped him, "Let me finish. I asked them to give a month to think about it, I told them that there was something I needed to confirm here first."

"What did you need to confirm?" He asked quietly.

"Us." She whispered.

"And have you?" The uncertainty rang through his voice.

"I did, and I do believe I have a reason to refuse the job." She looked at their interlaced hands. "Yes I have definitely found a reason to stay here."

"I'm glad." He placed a tiny kiss on her thigh. "Although these once every three years international booty calls are quite entertaining."

"Wow I have been gone a long time, when did you start using terms like booty calls?"

"When I started listening to the guys at my work." He stated innocently, placing another kiss on her thigh only this one was less innocent.

"Be here when I get up, please." He whispered into her ear.

She smiled tiredly, as he placed gentle kisses on her head. "Depends on if Granny wakes up before you do."

"Why?" She could tell he was beginning to fall asleep.

"Because, I would rather your grandmother not walk in on us lying in bed cuddling naked. It might skew her judgment of me." She told him, but she only heard his snores. With a content sigh she fell asleep.

The next morning Herry had woken up alone, all evidence of Lena being there was gone. After a quick shower, he headed down the stairs, only to hear laughter coming from the kitchen. "Morning." He said as he walked in, pausing when he saw that Granny wasn't alone.

"Herry! Look who decided to stop by!" Granny exclaimed.

"Morning." Lena smiled, and he noticed that her eyes had gone back to orange.

His jaw dropped, and he shook his head, trying to clear it. "Lena? When did you get in?"

"A couple of weeks ago…but there were something's I needed to take care of, before I could come and visit." She could tell he couldn't believe his eyes, so she slipped down the collar of her shirt so that he could the hickey that he left there last night.

"Three years without even a phone call!" Granny exclaimed.

"I'm sorry but things were busy and before I realized three years had gone past." Lena told her, but then smiled across the room while Granny scolded her for worrying her grandson.

He smiled back at her, and the two shared a moment until Granny sighed loudly. "Would you two just get married already? I want great grandchildren!"

His face went bright red, "Granny?"

Lena blushed, and laughed softly, then whispered into the older woman's ear. "As soon as he asks me, I'll gladly say yes."

"Wait! What'd you say?" Herry asked, as his face got redder.

"It's a secret." She stuck out her tongue, and then grinned with Granny who got them to sit down and served breakfast.

When they finished eating Herry and Lena did the dishes, "So last night really happened?" He asked her quietly.

"Last night really happened." She told him. "I did not have those hickeys before last night."

"Sorry I got a tad bit carried away." He apologized quickly, and then looked at her. "Last night your eyes were that ocean green that you started out with, and now they're orange again why?"

"Oh right…last night I forgot to take out my contacts." He looked confused, "I kept getting strange looks from my classmates, and I didn't want the local covens to know that the harbinger of destruction/fire child was in the city like I needed any more people trying to kill me."

"That is true." He nodded, "So…I have a confession."

"What's up?"

"I lost your dragon…"

"Oh is that all? Don't worry about it, she'll be back. We had a nice little chat in England…she decided she was going to see the world, and then she was going to find a mate…Yeah it happens."

"So…what'd you tell Granny?" He asked hoping to get an answer out of her.

"I'll tell you if you tell me what you were listening to last night before you went to bed." She told him with a grin, not forgetting about the portable CD player that she saw last night.

"Herry!" Granny called, "You're going to be late!"

"Crap! Kay! I have to get to work now; will you be here when I get back?" He kissed her on the cheek.

"Depends on whether Granny gets sick of me or not, and I've got to clean up my apartment." She told him, as she handed him his lunch box.

He frowned, "Fine but if you're not here when I get back I'm coming to get you."

She grinned, "Promises, promises. Now get going before you are truly late for work."

The four year anniversary of Cronus' defeat:

"Lena?" Herry asked gently touching her cheek. "We're here."

"I'm kind of worried…" She trailed off.

"About what the doctor said?" He asked quietly.

She frowned; it wasn't that she had forgotten about what the doctor had said it was just that she didn't know what to think about it. That's when she realized he was waiting for an answer, "No…mostly I'm worried about how they're going to react to finding out that I've been in the city for almost a year and I haven't contacted any of them except Odie. I seem to be the only one in our group who has a tendency of getting slapped, remember?"

Herry got out of the truck, and called to the others, "Sorry we're late!" He told them as he walked around to the other side of his truck.

Jay and Theresa looked at each other, "Wait…did he just say 'we're late'?" Jay asked.

"I do believe so." Archie told him from where he stood with his arm around Atlanta.

They all looked at Annette who seemed to be steaming, "This will be interesting." Atlanta smiled.

Theresa sighed, "We shouldn't encourage violence in front of our daughter." She said as she held the girl in her arms.

Odie looked at her, "Don't worry we'll hold her back."

Neil laughed, "Enjoy yourselves because I am not helping you. She's scary when she's mad."

Herry stood by the door where Lena sat with his arms out, "Come on, Lena."

"I can get out by myself." She pouted.

"Yes, well you're a klutz. You don't want them to remember that on your first time back you face planted into the cement do you?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

She glared, "You're good." She let him lift her out of the truck.

Jay's mouth dropped, "That hair…"

"Those eyes…" Atlanta gasped.

"It can't be…" Theresa shook her head.

Odie nodded, "It is."

"Lena!" Annette cried, as they ran towards her.

Lena instantly hid behind Herry, sensing immediate danger approaching. She peaked out from behind him when she heard they stopped moving. "Hi…"

"She's a bit jumpy today." Herry told them.

"Only a bit? She's completely hidden behind you." Jay told him, with a raised eyebrow.

She popped her head out completely, "That's because my 'I'm about to get slapped' sense is tingling. Because when you find out how long I've been in the city I feel that at least one of you is going to get angry."

"When did you get back?" Archie asked.

"Late last August…" She told them as she quickly hid behind Herry again.

"That explains so much…" Annette said. "Whenever I'd go to the apartment, it'd be clean, and the mail would be missing."

"And you didn't come and visit?" Theresa asked slightly hurt.

"I didn't want to visit one person then start a war about who was more important." She peaked out at them once again, noticing the child in Theresa's arms. "Who's that?" She moved out more from behind Herry, until she was standing in front of Theresa and staring at the child.

"Oh! Lena, this is Tara. She's my daughter." Theresa said, but Tara just seemed to hide in her mother's shirt.

"Daughter? But she's at least two…three if I remember from Annette's little brother. Who's the father?" Lena looked at confused.

"She just turned three in April." Theresa told her then blushed. "And Jay's the father."

Lena looked up at her; the wedding ring hadn't escaped her vision either. "But then that means…you got knocked up while you were at the dorm…my shotgun wedding sense is tingling. Although I'm pretty sure we all expected you two to get married eventually, it just happened sooner than we thought."

The other three women noticed that Lena's hand rested below her stomach. Annette started, "Lena?"

Then Atlanta, "Are you…"

Theresa finished their thought, "Possibly pregnant?"

Lena laughed halfheartedly, and then returned to her spot behind Herry. When she knew that it was relatively safe, she nodded. "I got my first taste at morning sickness last night. Luckily I had a doctor's appointment today, and then bam! I find out I'm eight weeks pregnant…"

"That's actually why we were late today." Herry told them.

"Wait you hadn't noticed the morning sickness before last night?" Theresa asked.

"Well for the past eight weeks…whenever I did get nauseous, I'd eat something sweet, like cake, and it would go away. But then last night when someone," She shot a glare at Herry, "took the last piece, I got sick."

Archie laughed, "Well there's no doubt about it…that's their kid alright already addicted to cake."

They laughed at that, and then a realization hit Jay. "Wait guys do you know what this means?" They a looked at him confusedly. "It means that Theresa and I won't be the only parents of the group!"

"Anyways…" Theresa paused, "Congratulations you two."

As the congratulations continued, Odie approached Lena and stuck out his hand. "Congrats. You two are going to be terrific parents."

She took his hand, "Thanks." He pulled her into a hug, and she realized that she now came up to his shoulder. "Odie…have you gotten taller?"

"Yeah, I suffered a growth spurt the first year of university. I just wanted to prove it to you." He pulled back and grinned.

"Wait so then this means…that I'm the shortest group member now? Sad times…"

Herry pulled her into his grasp, holding her tightly around the shoulders. "Yes, well you still fit snugly into my arms, so it's alright."

Lena paused and looked around, "Wait. Where's Sarah?"

Odie laughed, "She has a class right now so she couldn't make it, speaking of which I'm on my lunch break and should probably get back. Let's celebrate the good news this weekend." He told them as he began running off.

Lena smiled a bit, as she looked around and placed her hands just below her stomach. "I have a feeling that the future is going to be a good one."

"Me too." Herry whispered into her hair, as his hands covered hers.


	25. Epilogue: Part Two

Disclaimer: Class of the Titans, song lyrics and references belong to their legal owners

Epilogue: Part Two: The Future

12 years later: Early spring

Lena walked outside and for the first time in months she took in a deep breath of fresh air. "No more chills, no more being trapped inside, and most importantly no more snow! Life is good." Her orange eyes flickered with amusement, as she leapt off the deck with a laugh. She would have started dancing but she heard a laugh from behind her. "Herry! Look! No snow!"

"I see that, good thing too considering I go back to work today. I would have spent the day worrying about you if there was." He laughed again, and walked up to her.

"Do you possibly want to…?" She asked. "Since it's been a while?"

"Sure, since it's been a while."

She was out of practice as they sparred, he'd block every attack she made, and she let out a surprised gasp as he caught her leg. "You're surprisingly into it today." He told her, as he grinned mischievously.

"What are you thinking?" She asked suddenly worried.

His hand slipped down her smooth leg, "I'm surprised your leg can still go this high."

She knew that glint in his eyes meant he was thinking of either something naughty, or of food, she was voting for the first option. "Herry! We can't! The kids will hear!"

He used her leg to pull her closer, "They'll only hear if you keep yelling like that." He told her while he brought them to the ground, as he lavished her neck with kisses.

She whimpered in response, losing all logical thought processes. She didn't hear when one of the windows opened, and their eldest child launched water balloons at them. "Can you two not do that when I'm trying to sleep?"

"Henry!" She gasped as their only son tossed a water balloon into the air catching it again. "What time is it?"

"Time for dad to start getting ready." He told her.

"Alright, go wake your sister up and check on Lydia. I'll start making breakfast." They watched as he left his spot from the window. Then she looked at Herry, who was still grinning mischievously, and she sighed. "You need to get ready, and I need to start breakfast."

"Fine, but we haven't taken a shower together in a while." He wiggled his eyebrows.

She laughed, "I wasn't joking about breakfast, go on." He pouted a bit but got up, pulling her up with him. "Thank you."

He kissed her gently, and whispered, "Good morning."

She got a silly grin on her face, "Morning."

"Seriously? If you don't hurry, Liana's gonna have a fit that breakfast isn't ready." Henry called from his window. "And Lydia's sleeping."

"Alright, I'll go start breakfast." She told him as she walked into the house. Herry glared at his son, who just stuck out his tongue. "Herry! Stop glaring at our child and go get ready for work!" She called from inside the house.

"You win this time…but this is far from over." He walked into the house.

Lena watched as her husband and two of her children ate. Herry looked up at her, "You aren't eating?"

"I'll eat when Lydia gets up." She smiled, "She'll probably come to me, in an hour or so and demand she's hungry."

"Mom, we all know you love her, but could you not make it seem like she's your favorite." Their middle child, and eldest daughter, Liana looked up at her from her bowl of cereal.

"I do not favor my children; I love each and every one of you equally." She looked at the clock, "Oh you three better get going."

"Alright, everyone into the truck!" Herry told them, as they got their lunches. "You sure you don't want me to stay home today?"

"I'm sure; I promised Lydia that she'd have me all to herself today." She grinned.

"That slightly worries me; the last time I left you two alone, I came home to our daughter shouting 'Moon Prism Power!'." He kissed her on the cheek quickly as they walked to the door.

"We were having fun; now go before I change my mind. Be safe, and have fun. Don't be late!" She waved, as they got into the truck. "Now onto cleaning."

"_Tell me why? Ain__'__t nothing but a heartache. Tell me why? Ain__'__t but a mistake. Tell me why? I never wanna hear you say I want it that way. Am I your fire? Your one desire? Yes I know it__'__s too late but I want it that way._" She paused her song, "This is strange…my backup singer is still missing." She looked at the clock, "Ten thirty, I should probably go check on her." Although the baby monitor had been quiet she walked up the stairs and into the first door on her right. "Lydia, you awake?"

She looked at the tiny bundle under the covers, and pulled them back gently. She saw the tiny gasping three year old, with a flushed face. "Lydia?" She placed a gentle hand on her forehead, and gasped. "You're burning up! Oh Gods! What do I do?"

"Mommy, you're hand feels cold, and good." Lydia, who was strong for her age, held her mother's hand onto her forehead.

Lena stiffened, no one, since the night she had put herself into a magical coma, had told her that her body had felt cold in anyway, her daughter had been no exception. She had her PMR out, and quickly called Sarah. "If anyone knows what to do it'll be our fledgling doctor." She let out an exasperated cry, as it went straight to voice mail. "Who's off today?" She pinched the bridge of her nose, and began to think. Jay! She called him, "If anyone else knows what to do it'll be him, please pick up my only other option is Neil."

"Jay here." He answered as he towel dried his hair. "What's up Lena?"

"Lydia's sick and I have no idea what to do!" She told him, "She called my hand cold!"

"That is bad, okay now what you got to remember is not to panic." She opened her mouth but he stopped her, "Don't do it because you want to, do it for Lydia." She nodded. "Okay, now what you need is a cold wet cloth and some chewable cold pills to get her fever to go down."

She nodded, "Okay."

"I have to pick up Jace soon; do you want us to stop by?" He asked.

"Would you?" She asked.

"Yeah, we'll see you in a bit." He hung up.

She bundled the small girl into her arms, "Come on you let's find something to bring your fever down."

In a bit: At the elementary school

Jay pulled into the elementary school guest parking lot, and got out, careful not to scratch Theresa's car. He walked up to the playground surprised to see Archie standing there. "Hey Arch, don't you have work today?"

Archie looked over, "They let me off early saying that there was nothing left to do, what about you?"

"I have today off, or at least I thought I did." He frowned slightly.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Lena called Lydia's got a fever to the point where she called Lena's hand cold."

"That is bad. Do you want me to come with you? Since I've got some free time." Archie shrugged, "Austin doesn't like being home alone with me anyways."

"That's because you spend all of your time watching sports." Jay told him with a raised eyebrow. "Have you tried playing with him?"

"I have but he ignores me most times…I think he prefers Atlanta to me."

"Daddy!"

Jay looked over as the kids finally got let out for the morning, "Jace!" He knelt down as the small boy jumped into his arms. "How was school?"

"We learned how to count to twenty today, and we played hid and go seek during morning recess." Jace explained his morning.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" A boy with red hair, and clear grey eyes walked over to Archie.

"Well I got the afternoon off, and I thought I'd come and pick you up early." Archie smiled.

"I see." The child easily dismissed it.

With a sigh, Archie looked at his son, "Anyways Austin, how about we head over to Herry's place? Lydia's sick and we should go wish her well."

"What Lydia's sick? Are we going too?" Jace asked as he looked pleadingly into his father's eyes.

"Yes we're going, Lena called before asking what to do. I told her we'd stop by." Jay told him, while ruffling his hair.

Lena/Herry's Place

Jay knocked on the front door, but there was no answer. He looked at the two children, "Okay, Jace, Austin. Do not follow my example." He turned the doorknob, and it opened. "And here I was worried about having to break in through the back." He half laughed. "Lena?" He called as he walked in. There was only silence, and if he didn't know better he'd have thought that they weren't home. "They're probably in Lydia's bedroom, wait for me here."

"Alright, we'll wait in the living room." Archie told him, as he shuffled the kids into the living room.

Jay walked up the stairs and entered the first door on his right, and looked at the two girls sleeping on Lydia's bed. "Wow, I don't think I could have found you in a more vulnerable position."

Lena's eyes opened at the sound of Jay's voice, "Hey Jay, when did you get here?"

"Just now, you really should start locking your front door." He told her.

"No need, the guard dragon does a good enough job." She told him as she sat up rubbing her eyes.

He nodded, "Ah the faithful, 'I have a dragon in my backyard' plan, always works. So, how is she?"

"I tried bringing her fever down normally but it didn't seem to be working." She frowned.

He walked into the room and knelt beside the bed. He checked the smaller girl's forehead, and then looked at Lena with suspicion. His free hand moved quickly to Lena's forehead before she could move out of the way, but he quickly pulled it back when it nearly burnt him. "You're burning up!"

"I told you that normal ways weren't working, I got worried, and then before I knew it, I was taking in what heat she was over producing." She shrugged. He flicked her in the forehead, a clear punishment. "What was that for?" She asked as she rubbed her forehead.

"That was for doing something stupid and dangerous. You had no idea what that would do to you." He scolded her.

Then they watched as the little girl in between them stirred, she looked up with blue eyes, her brown hair a complete mess. "Mommy, I'm hungry."

The two adults laughed, "Are you four staying for lunch?" Lena asked as she sensed the other three downstairs, but then frowned. "Though I'm pretty sure all we've got is soup and bread…Grilled cheese sandwiches and soup?"

"Shopping day is it?" He chuckled, "Yeah, I don't think Jace will leave unless we know if Lydia's going to be alright."

Lydia shot up, looking in horror. "I'm not ready!"

Lena smiled, "Come on let's get you cleaned up, then I'll make lunch."

3:00 p.m.

"Yeah it's cool. I have to pick up Nicole anyways." Annette's voice came through Lena's PMR.

"Really? Oh thank the Gods, you my dear star are a life saver." Lena smiled gratefully.

"No problem, maybe I should pick up Neil too, and we'll stop by, since everyone seems to be congregating over there anyways."

"I'll be gladly waiting; it's been a while since everyone's been under one roof." She heard the house phone ringing, "The phones ringing, I gotta go. I'll see you soon." She hung up and walked into the kitchen to answer the phone, "Hello?"

"Lena! Why'd you call me at work?" Sarah asked worried.

"Right, well…Lydia got some super fever, and I didn't know what to do, so I called you hoping you were on break. But it went straight to voice mail so then I had to call Jay, who gave me some ideas, but that didn't work. So I used a little magic to help, and she seems better." Lena scratched her cheek.

"Odie and I are picking up Ophelia now; do you want us to stop by? I don't trust you using magic on something like this, especially for a fever, and you'll be joining my examination."

"Oh, well everyone seems to be gathering here anyways. Jay and Archie have been here since lunch. Atlanta's on her way, as is Annette who's picking up Neil, and Theresa's almost done work. I better see you two here. We'll order pizza." She grinned.

"I hope we're invited." Odie told her, "It's been awhile since we've all been under the same roof, you know since you went into hibernation for the winter."

"What can I say? I'm allergic to the cold. That's why I have a guard dragon; she protects me through thick and thin."

"Alright, my phones dying so we've got to go, we'll see you soon."

"See you soon." She hung up.

Archie walked into the kitchen, holding her MP3, "I'm sorry Lena, but friends don't let friends listen to the Backstreet Boys."

She could feel her face heat up, "I was cleaning, and it was on shuffle."

"That doesn't explain why it's on there in the first place." He said with a smirk.

"It's old okay! Gods!" She frowned, she held out her hand and he tossed it to her as she heard a knock at the door. "Oh look your wife's here." She skipped as she answered the door. "Atlanta!"

"Lena! What no more thirteen blankets?" Atlanta asked with a raised eyebrow, then a giggled.

"Come in. Hi Ava." She smiled at the girl pretty much attached to her mother's leg.

"Hi, Lena." She whispered the ten year old was surprisingly shy considering her parents.

"Go on and play Ava." Atlanta told her, patting her on the back.

"She's still so shy, even with us." Lena smiled as they watched the girl walk towards the three already in the living room. "It's surprising considering who her father is although it did take Archie forever to confess his undying love for you."

"Yes but it took me even longer to admit my feelings for him." Atlanta laughed softly, as they walked into the living room.

"I'm not sure which was more painful to watch Jay and Theresa flirting without getting past that dating barrier, or watching you two be so in love with each other but not having the courage to actually admit it." Lena sighed in remembrance.

"You and Herry." Jay told her.

"I second that motion." Archie raised his hand.

"Agreed." Atlanta walked up to Archie, placing a quick kiss on his cheek.

"What are we agreeing on?" Annette asked, swinging her keys on her finger, causing them all to jump.

"Which couple was more painful to watch; apparently Herry and I are winning." Lena said as she turned, to see Neil, Annette, their only child Nicole, Henry and Liana walk in.

Annette looked her over, "Oh what no thirteen blankets today?"

"Sheesh if you wanted under the covers with me all you had to do is ask." Lena winked.

Annette smirked, "I've been under those covers several times."

"Woah woah guys! Impressionable children in the room." Jay warned them.

"Sorry couldn't help it; it's been awhile since I've been able to do witty comebacks like that." Lena admitted with a grin.

Annette smiled, "It's just some witty banter, calm down Jay."

"Neil, Nicole it's been awhile." Lena looked at them, as her children attached themselves to her hips for quick hugs, and then went off to play with the others. Both Neil and Nicole looked up from their custom made mirrors, and waved quickly before going back to looking at their reflections. "I can't believe that guy actually paid enough attention to get married. More importantly how do you two sleep in the same room doesn't he snore like crazy?"

Annette shrugged, "I kick him when he starts snoring, and then he shuts up. But if he doesn't he ends up on the couch."

Neil hugged her "She's so mean to me."

"But don't forget Neil, she's probably the only person who would put up with your narcissism for so long." Lena told him as she heard a knock on the door; she walked to the door and quickly opened it. "Theresa! Tara!"

"I'm tired." Theresa said collapsing into her arms playfully.

"Lena, may I use your table?" Tara asked lifting up her bag to signify her homework, she also waved at Theresa, "And I'm sorry about my mother."

"Go right ahead." Lena told her as she pulled Theresa inside, bringing her to the living room. "Jay come and grab your wife. Losing strength…" Her knee's buckled, and she met the floor playfully, with Theresa on top of her.

"Ah ha! I've got you now!" Theresa told her, while she tickled her.

"Nooo! Lydia come and save me!" Lena told her with a grin.

"Mommy!" Lydia exclaimed. They all watched as she pulled out the crescent moon wand, and she exclaimed. "Moon healing activation!"

Annette was the first to ask, staring at the wand. "Where'd that come from?"

Theresa shielded her eyes and cried, "No! I will get my revenge!" She then rolled off of Lena and then played dead.

"High five." Lena stuck her hand out and Lydia met it with hers, then the two adults got up and took a bow. The group looked confused for a bit then started clapping.

"I am slightly worried about your daughter's future." Jay told her.

"Any child willing to watch an anime from the early 1990's will be amazing." She told him, fully pouting. That's when she heard the door open. "Oh Herry's home." She skipped to the door. "Welcome home."

"I'm home." His arms wrapped around her. "By the way, did I hear our daughter yell 'Moon healing activation'?"

She looked up and away from him, "I have no idea what you're talking about. How was work?"

He heard the children in the living room then looked at her, "I suppose this means I can't ravish you in the doorway like I was intending to do on the way home."

"Please don't we have guests over." She smiled.

He looked down then noticed the shoes, "Guests?"

"Well, Lydia had this huge fever, and I couldn't get a hold of Sarah. So I called Jay since he was off, and then he met Archie who was picking up Austin while he was picking up Jace. So the four of them came over, and then I had to ask Annette to pick up Henry and Liana. So pretty much everyone's just gathered here."

"If you had called, I would have come home." He told her with a frown.

"But it was your first day back…" She looked down at the floor, but he lifted her head up and kissed her hungrily.

When she was breathless, and flushed he pulled away. "I think I've changed my mind, I'm ravishing you in the doorway." He would have descended upon her neck but they heard a cough.

"As glad as we are to see that having three kids hasn't affected your sex lives any please wait until we all go home." Odie asked, with his arms crossed, and a smirk on his face.

"Sheesh and I thought you didn't want any more kids." Sarah laughed.

"I don't!" Lena exclaimed.

"You don't?" Herry asked slightly disappointed.

"Isn't three enough?" She asked.

All four of them were interrupted by an exclaimed, "Daddy!"

"Lydia!" He held his arms out and she leapt into them.

"Well come in all of you, I'll go order pizza while Herry gets presentable for company." She hadn't missed the smell of oil and wood on him, and she could just imagine just how messy his clothes were.

They watched as he stiffened, and frowned. "Do I…" She stopped him with a raised eyebrow. "Fine."

"Thank you." She took Lydia from him, and watched as he went upstairs. Then the remaining three watched as Odie's and Sarah's daughter walked past them after slipping off her shoes, her nose stuck into a book. "Good book?" Lena asked.

"She's recently been very interested with detective novels." Odie laughed. "I'm slightly worried that she'll start walking around with a magnifying glass."

"Well anyways let's order some pizza." She shrugged.

"And see what's going on with you two." Sarah reminded her, as she lifted her bag of medical supplies.

Lena and Lydia sat with thermometers in their mouths, waiting for them to beep. Lena had her nose in the giant leather book she stole from the Rose family house. The thermometers beeped, and Sarah removed Lena's first. "What's your natural body temperature again?"

"42.3 degrees Celsius and hers is…well…normal; most times." Lena told her without looking up.

"That's strange, everything seems normal now." Sarah's brows furrowed, "Lydia what did it feel like when you got your fever this morning."

"Well…everything felt normal when Henry walked in, it wasn't until after daddy left for work did strange things start happening. I saw a red light and then things started feeling hot." Lydia frowned.

'Red light…? They couldn't have.' Lena thought as she closed her eyes, letting her third eye see for her. Her hand moved quickly as she pulled the red aura off from where it rested on her daughter's head. "Fire imp, should have known, those hags." She muttered as she looked at the squirming orange imp. She spoke to the imp as her eyes glowed red, "This is your last warning Aunties. Attack my family again and everything dear to you will burn down in flames along with you." She walked to the window, and whistled. Rhiannon, now far too big to fit in the house, flew up to the window. "Here's a light snack." She tossed the imp and Rhiannon ate it, not leaving any sign of the imp then flew off again.

"Lena what was that?" Sarah asked slightly worried.

She turned off again and smiled, "Just some tying up some loose ends." The doorbell rang. "Ooh look pizza's here."

They all ate in the living room; the adults conversed about work, while the children talked about school and TV shows. Lena hadn't seemed to shake off the incident with the imp, and began to think that she needed to increase the barriers around the house. That's when Lydia walked up to her, with just the crystal from her wand. "Bad feelings! Go away forever!"

Lena looked at her daughter, and broke out in laughter. Herry looked at them, "You've been watching Sailor Moon again haven't you?"

Lena looked around, remembering all of the adventures they had as young heroes, and an idea hit her. She then placed Lydia on her lap and picked up her glass, filled with pop. "Guy's I want to make a crazy sounding toast. Like the craziest sounding toast ever. I want to toast to Cronus."

"What why? Have you forgotten that guy tried to kill us, on several occasions?" Jay looked at her with disbelieve.

"Think about it, Jay, he was the reason we all met. He was the reason we became heroes, and he was the reason all of us found love. I told you it was a crazy toast, so who's with me?" She raised her glass.

"I'm with you; we do surprisingly owe Cronus at least one toast." Herry agreed, raising his glass.

"He did bring me nine of the best people I know." Odie raised his glass.

Neil shrugged, "At first I thought he was an agent, but because of him I met Lena, and because of her I met someone who would put up with my narcissistic tendencies." He raised his glass.

"He kidnapped me, dumped me in a pit of lava, but because of him my cousin is alive now." Annette raised her glass.

"I'll toast to him, although he seems like an ass from what you've told me about him. But he brought Odie to New Olympia and for that I am grateful." Sarah raised her glass.

"He brought me my best friends, and my soul mate." Archie said, raising his glass and wrapping his arm around Atlanta.

"He was the reason we met the Gods, and the reason why we went on great adventures together." Atlanta raised her glass.

Theresa nodded, "He was the reason that we met, and brought purpose to our lives even it meant giving up normality." She raised her glass, and looked at Jay.

Jay looked at them, "He tried to kill us more than once, but he brought me the most amazing woman, and then two awesome children, so cheers to Cronus." He raised his glass.

"Whether it be past present or future, know this Cronus we are grateful of what you did for us. May he forever enjoy his stay in his cell in Tartarus. Cheers to Cronus!" Lena toasted to the God of Time, to whom they were grateful for bringing them all together.

The End!

(A/N: That was the final chapter of Unexpected Meetings, Incidents and Romances what did you think? Now a special thanks to all of those people who reviewed and favourited this story, I shall be eternally grateful for that. I was thinking that I might do a sequel to this, based off the children of the heroes. So review and tell me what you think. And now if anyone was curious on which clidren belong to which parent or their ages here's a list.)

Archie + Atlanta = Ava(10), Austin(5)  
Jay + Theresa = Tara(14), Jace(5)  
Herry + Lena = Henry(11), Liana(7), Lydia(3)  
Odie + Sarah = Ophelia(6)  
Neil + Annette = Nichole(7)


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